


Lotus of the Three Waters: Fangs

by stepichu



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Asia, Cross-Posted on Wattpad, FanClan(s) (Warriors), Gen, Inspired by Warriors - Erin Hunter, Original Fiction, StarClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-29
Updated: 2020-10-18
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:02:16
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 31,258
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23384932
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stepichu/pseuds/stepichu
Summary: Koipaw and his sister, Apricotpaw, are the newest apprentices in LeafClan, one of the three Clans in the east. They live normal lives, striving to be the best warrior and medicine cat they can be, but a shadowy monster haunting Koipaw's dreams threatens to tear apart not only LeafClan, but the other Clans as well.A tale separate from the canon books, this work tells the story of LeafClan, MountainClan, and MarshClan, Clans living on coastal Asia.'The Winter Trees' and 'Lotus of the Three Waters' are on hold until I have a backlog of chapters to post. This will provide more consistent updates and higher quality chapters. Sorry for the wait!
Comments: 2
Kudos: 5





	1. Allegiances

** LeafClan – **

Leader: Clovestar – brown tabby she-cat with a white tail tip and green eyes

Deputy: Bambootail – lithe, pale brown tom with a long tail and green eyes  
Apprentice: Bearpaw

Medicine Cat: Plumwhisker – brown and gray tabby tom with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Apricotpaw

Warriors:

Cranefeather – white tom with a black tail tip and yellow eyes  
Apprentice: Ricepaw

Tanukimask – brown tabby tom with a darker face and amber eyes  
Apprentice: Lotuspaw

Rhubarbtuft – spike-furred brown tom with amber eyes

Monkeyfur – mottled brown she-cat with yellow eyes  
Apprentice: Koipaw

Batear – dark gray tom with large ears and dark amber eyes

Salmonwhisker – sleek, pale brown tom with amber eyes

Pikadapple – light brown dappled she-cat with pale green eyes

Orchidflower – pretty cream and brown she-cat with bright green eyes

Rabbittail – orange and white tom with a stumpy tail and green eyes

Gingerstep – pale brown tom with hazel eyes

Tawnydawn – tawny brown she-cat with bright amber eyes

Apprentices:

Lotuspaw – cream she-cat with pale blue eyes

Bearpaw – brown and black tom with yellow eyes

Ricepaw – gray tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Koipaw – calico tom with blue eyes

Apricotpaw – orange tabby she-cat with a white chest and green eyes

Queens:

Brightorchid – pale orange and white she-cat with blue eyes (mother of Gingerstep's kits, Squidkit, Harrierkit, and Lichenkit)

Peachwhisker – longhaired pale brown she-cat with green eyes (mother of Rabbittail's kits, Berrykit and Kelpkit)

Koileap – pretty calico she-cat with amber eyes (expecting Salmonwhisker's kits)

Elders:

Boarwhisker – large black tom with green eyes

Foxspeckle – spotted ginger she-cat with blue eyes

** MountainClan – **

Leader: Heronstar – long legged white tom with black paws and ears, and yellow eyes

Deputy: Swanflight – longhaired white she-cat with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Gingerpaw

Medicine Cat: Ottersong – lithe, pale brown tabby she-cat with yellow eyes

Warriors:

Monkeystrike – brown and cream tabby tom with amber eyes

Bearthistle – massive dark brown tom with thick fur and yellow eyes

Vulturetooth – cream tom with patchy fur and green eyes

Magnoliabreath – soft-furred silver and white tabby she-cat with green eyes  
Apprentice: Frecklepaw

Ospreyclaw – brown and white she-cat with spiky fur and green eyes  
Apprentice: Goosepaw

Serowfur – pale brown tom with a darker stripe along his back and blue eyes   
Apprentice: Shypaw

Squirrelhaze – fluffy dark gray she-cat with a bushy tail and amber eyes

Pittaflight – yellow and white tabby tom with amber eyes and a short tail

Volewhisker – pale brown she-cat with green eyes

Koisplash – tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

Mackerelspring – orange tabby tom with a white chest and green eyes

Apprentices:

Gingerpaw – yellow tom with green eyes

Goosepaw – very pale gray tom with blue eyes

Shypaw – dark gray tabby she-cat with deep blue eyes

Frecklepaw – spotted gray she-cat with green eyes

Queens:

Ducksplash – sleek gray and brown she-cat with green eyes (mother of Heronstar's kits, Lavenderkit, Wisteriakit, and Pouncekit)

Chestnutfoot – calico she-cat with one black leg and blue eyes (mother of Serowfur's kits, Bubblekit and Stagkit)

Elders:  


Gullmuzzle – gray tom with a white muzzle and blue eyes

Tanukistripe – brown tabby she-cat with a ringed tail and green eyes

** MarshClan – **

Leader: Webstar – very pale gray tabby tom with barely visible stripes and green eyes

Deputy: Wolfrunner – muscular dark, dusky brown tom with thick fur, long legs, and piercing yellow eyes  
Apprentice: Russetpaw

Medicine Cat: Rippleleaf – splotchy gray and brown tom with blue eyes  
Apprentice: Frogpaw

Warriors:

Cranestep – black and white she-cat with yellow eyes

Vipertail – pale brown tom with a striped tail and green eyes

Sabletooth – dusky brown she-cat with yellow eyes  
Apprentice: Nightpaw

Sprucetail – longhaired black tom with green eyes  
Apprentice: Leopardpaw

Beetlefoot – black tom with white paws and yellow eyes

Salmonflight – dusky brown tom with green eyes

Snailspots – spotted brown tom with blue eyes

Foxfang – ginger and white tom with sharp teeth and green eyes

Lotusstep – calico she-cat with green eyes  
Apprentice: Thistlepaw

Turtlemask – gray tom with a darker face and paws, and blue eyes

Stumptail – calico tom with a short tail and slightly folded ears, and green eyes  
Mate: Shrikewing

Apprentices:

Leopardpaw – golden spotted tabby she-cat with green eyes

Frogpaw – gray spotted tabby tom with yellow eyes

Thistlepaw – spike-furred brown and white tom with blue eyes

Russetpaw – longhaired tortoiseshell tom with green eyes

Nightpaw – thick-furred tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes

Queens:

Pidgeonwing – dark gray she-cat with a white chest and paws, and blue eyes (mother of Salmonflight's kits, Rainkit, Snakekit, and Marshkit)

Mallowflower – white she-cat with a short tail and green eyes (mother of Vipertail's kits, Snowkit and Newtkit)

Shrikewing – tortoiseshell she-cat with yellow eyes (expecting Stumptail's kits)

Elders:  


Tanglenose – longhaired brown tabby tom with blue eyes


	2. Prologue

Green eyes darted back and forth from the dense undergrowth. She knew better than to be here alone, but curiosity drove her paws forward, despite the protests her common sense screeched at her from the back of her mind. They moved cautiously towards the ancient ginkgo tree, its leaves bright yellow from the cool temperatures that had permeated over the last moon. They seemed to dance in the gentle breeze, rippling from one end to another like waves.

She watched it in awed silence for a moment. Its trunk glistened under the moonlight, shining almost as though it had been dampened by rain. It was different now that she was alone. Before, it was huge and foreboding, welcoming her into a mystery that had plagued her for moons. Now it was magnificent and regal, welcoming her into a forbidden territory that she knew she was not ready to walk alone.

She padded up to it, body low, passing the tall-leg decoration that guarded it from unwanted presence. She had always wondered if they believed in the same things she did, and that is why the red structure stood over the bridge that led to its island. A tall-leg vine wrapped around the trunk of the tree, marked by small white slips that seemed to have deteriorated with time. Surely it had been sacred to them, once, too. But the air here no longer smelled of the tall, hairless creatures. It only smelled of grass and cool-leaf and the pond that surrounded the tree. It was like a gift they had left them.

Though her heart pounded, she made her way up to the trunk of the tree, ears tilted to listen for anyone else. But she was alone, confirmed by the quiet night air and the smell of only nature. Had there been someone else there, she would have been sent home by now. Gathering up some courage, she walked right up to the base of the trunk.

Never had she felt so close to her ancestors than she did here, at that moment, staring up at the ginkgo with huge round eyes, alone in the moonlight. Stars glistened down onto her soft orange fur. She felt as though they were acknowledging her presence, welcoming her into their midst. The light felt warm on her back, despite the chill in the air. She shuffled closer to the base and laid down.

Would they allow her to speak to them, even though it wasn't the right time? She hadn't been concerned when she had left, but now the worry dug itself into her skin like a thorn that refused to budge. This was a different kind of anxiety than her first visit. This was the anxiety she only felt when she knew she wasn't supposed to be doing something. But she had come so far. Too far to turn back now. With a deep breath, she touched her nose on one of the roots and closed her eyes.

As she opened them again, she gasped. Stars had fallen onto the roots of the tree, making them sparkle as though they were part of the night sky itself. The blossoms resting on the water had bloomed, their pale pink petals floating aimlessly in circles. She looked around her in amazement. The tall-leg things were gone, leaving her with only the tree in its natural state, adorned with bright green leaves that greeted her with a dance despite the stillness of the air. She watched them for a few heartbeats. They were almost hypnotizing with their movements. She closed her eyes to listen. They seemed to tell her to turn around.

So she did.

Star-filled eyes looked back at her from the undergrowth, blinking one by one. Horror and curiosity filled her chest. Did they want her there, or were they going to chase her off? But no one emerged from the ferns. As she watched them, back against the tree, they began to vanish with every blink. The light in their eyes was replaced with a cold darkness and still leaves. She glanced up at the tree once more in a hurry, but the leaves of the ginkgo had stopped moving, their greeting halted as the eyes disappeared. A cold spread through the air. It chilled her fur through to her bones, and she shivered.

This place wasn't supposed to be cold. She shut her eyes, willing herself to wake up. She had messed up, somehow, and ended up in the wrong place, surely. But when silence fell and she opened her eyes once more, she was no longer at the ginkgo tree.

Something snapped mere whiskers from her face, making a deafening cracking sound that made her ears ring painfully. She flinched back, but there was another snap to one side that caused her to jump off the ground, fur puffed out in terror. She whipped around, unsheathing her claws. Was she being attacked? She couldn't tell what was making the snapping sound. It was almost like the crack of a try branch, but much, much louder.

A third snap came with the vision of massive, long, dripping jaws. She turned to meet fangs longer than those of any creature she had ever seen, bared and sharp. Terrified, she turned to run, but was met with another set of jaws, growling in a low tone that seemed to make the ground shake beneath her paws. A wave of awful scent washed over her. It reminded her of fox and the mountain, but it was so different than anything she had ever smelled before that she had to hold her breath to avoid gagging.

She ducked and ran between the two creatures, fear pushing her forward with every step. She could feel their hot breath on her tail, hear their massive paws pound against the ground as they tried to keep up. She kept running, begging to whoever would listen to save her; to keep them from reaching her. Her chest burned like fire. She closed her eyes.

When she opened them again, she was back at the ginkgo tree.


	3. A Poor Hunt

"That's it. Body low, tail up. Watch that branch."

Though his mentor's words were whispered close to his ear, Koipaw felt as though she was tree-lengths away. He didn't dare look at her; he kept his gaze fixed on the mouse, which had thankfully yet to notice him. Following Monkeyfur's instructions, he sunk a little lower, taking an extra heartbeat to ensure his tail wasn't dragging across the ground. He took a short breath and placed one paw in front of another, almost forgetting about the branch. His body twisted as he tried to go around it, but he caught himself before he fell and scared off the prey. It was closer now, nibbling on some sort of seed, oblivious to his existence. He was glad his multi-coloured pelt could blend in with the warm tones that cool-leaf created.

As soon as he felt he could reach it, Koipaw bunched up his hindquarters and launched himself at the mouse. He faintly heard it let out a startled squeak, but before it could even turn, he had landed neatly on its back, and was able to kill it with a swift blow to the neck. He turned to face his mentor, one paw still on the mouse.

"Well done," she praised with a purr. She curled her mottled brown tail happily. "I told you you just needed to be patient."

Koipaw glanced sheepishly at the bamboo they had emerged from mere moments before. "I don't think patience has anything to do with hunting in there," he replied, flicking his tail towards the sparse forest of green stalks.

Monkeyfur rested her tail gently over his shoulders. "Luck is a big factor in the bamboo, unfortunately. Don't worry, you'll get there. Did you know it took me three moons to catch anything in there?" Koipaw blinked up at his mentor in surprise.

"Really?"

She nodded. "Really. You've been making good progress." Nodding towards the mouse, she added, "Pick that up and let's head back. We've been at it long enough for today."

Koipaw obediently scooped up the mouse in his jaws and ran to meet her so they could walk back to camp together. His paws dragged across the ground. They had been out trying to hunt since early morning, and now the sun was beginning its dip into the horizon. Koipaw felt guilty for only catching one thing, but Monkeyfur reassured him that there would be plenty of prey at home. He hoped that at least none of the other apprentices had been out hunting. He couldn't imagine returning to camp to see Lotuspaw with a mouthful of prey to drop on the pile.

The trees had begun turning orange and yellow over the last moon, signalling the official start of cool-leaf. As the pair trekked through the forest, Koipaw took notice of the lack of growth, and leaves that littered the ground. Though the forest was still dense enough to provide cover, branches and leaves had begun to dry out and drop dead, causing every step they made to crunch the ground beneath them.

Koipaw paused as they passed the neutral zone between territories. Even from the cover of the trees, he could see one massive tree standing above the rest. Its bright yellow leaves stood out against the blue sky like the sun. He had never seen it in its full colour of hot-leaf, but the yellow that greeted him felt right, even though it signified the beginning of the colder seasons.

Monkeyfur followed his gaze. She seemed to also be taking it in. "It's beautiful this time of year, isn't it?" she said, her voice hardly a breath. Koipaw nodded, unable to reply with the mouse in his jaws. "Plumwhisker says this is when we are closest to StarClan, because the tree clings to life through our ancestors' blessing. But come on, we don't have time to pay a visit. We should get back before it gets dark."

Nodding thoughtfully, Koipaw followed her back towards the heart of their territory, leaving the beautiful tree behind. He wondered if they ever would have time for a visit. As far as he knew, it was only medicine cats and leaders who ever visited the mystical tree. He didn't think normal warriors were important enough to be able to speak with their ancestors whenever they needed advice. He tore his gaze away.

After they had passed the Moontree, it wasn't long before they reached the well-hidden clearing they called home. Koipaw followed Monkeyfur towards the familiar bamboo and fern brush, dipping after her through the bramble tunnel. He tugged at the branches as they caught his fur.

Monkeyfur dismissed him to place his catch on the pile as soon as they emerged on the other side. The camp was busy, with patrols beginning to return and most apprentices already home from their training. To one side, Koipaw could see Foxspeckle playing with Peachwhisker's kits, while Boarwhisker supervised Bearpaw's chores, that even from across the clearing Koipaw could see he was not doing well. Passively, Koipaw wondered if the dark tom could do anything well other than pick fights with him.

He was about to pick out some prey to take to the queens when he realized Ricepaw had had the same idea. She held two squirrels in her jaws, and she ducked into the nursery before Koipaw could even say hello. His whiskers twitched as her gray tail disappeared into the ferns. She was always such a model apprentice, especially compared to her siblings. Koipaw was amazed she hadn't already earned her warrior name, though he figured it was a little unfair for her to receive it ahead of her littermates. He felt a twinge of sadness as he realized he wouldn't be able to receive his full name with his own sister.

He spotted her orange pelt outside the medicine cat den, placing leaves down in the sun, one by one. She had always known she was meant to be a medicine cat, and it showed in her enthusiasm for her work, even though most other cats in their Clan found it horridly boring. She would receive her full name later, at the Moontree, away from their Clanmates. Koipaw would have to sit his vigil alone, one day.

Pushing away the thought, he turned back to the caught-prey pile and nosed through it, pleased to see a lapwing near the bottom. He clenched it in his jaws and yanked it out, staggering back under its weight.

"I hope your mentor gave you permission to do that," grunted a low voice. Koipaw turned, flicking his ears towards the massive white tom. It was Cranefeather, his father, and although his voice was stern, there was a glimmer of amusement in his dark yellow eyes.

Koipaw dropped the bird so he could answer. "I was going to take some to the queens, but Ricepaw beat me to it. Could I share this with Apricotpaw?"

Cranefeather seemed to think it over for a moment, as though deciding whether or not to go over Monkeyfur's head. But he was her senior, and Koipaw's father, so surely it would be okay if he said so? Koipaw could feel his belly protesting in hunger, but he had forgotten to ask Monkeyfur if he could take anything for himself.

"Alright," the large white tom finally agreed. "If the queens are already fed, there's no harm. I already saw Bearpaw and Lotuspaw bringing food for the elders, anyway." He leaned down and nudged the lapwing towards Koipaw. "Go for it."

Koipaw quickly nuzzled his father in thanks, then scooped the lapwing back up and hurried towards the medicine cat den to share it with Apricotpaw. He hoped she hadn't already eaten - the lapwing was far too big for him alone.

He couldn't name all of the plants in front of her, but he recognized ginger root off to one side, looking as though it had been freshly washed. Others had strange, medicinal smells, that all seemed mostly alike. His head spun at the mere thought of trying to keep track of them all. He set down the lapwing and coughed to get his sister's attention.

She spun around wide-eyed, as though she hadn't noticed him come up to her at all. Her fur bushed out, the pale green leaves dropping from her tongue. Recognizing him, she let her fur lie flat. "Oh, sorry Koipaw. You startled me."

He tilted his head. "You alright? You seem jumpy."

"Fine," she answered quickly. Koipaw didn't believe her, but he decided not to press the matter. She would tell him if it were really important. She nodded at the lapwing. "Did you catch that?"

Koipaw's multicoloured fur flushed hot with embarrassment. "N-no, I caught a mouse while I was out. I just thought you might like to share."

She blinked affectionately. "Great, I'm starving! Drying herbs builds up an appetite, apparently!" She licked her lips and settled down next to him.

As he sat down and watched Apricotpaw take the first bite of the bird, he asked, "What are you drying them for? Aren't there plenty of fresh herbs in the forest?"

She took a moment to swallow her bite, motioning for him to take some. He obeyed, relishing the juicy flavour of the lapwing on his tongue. It tasted a little like the marshland smelled, but it wasn't unpleasant.

"Plumwhisker says we need to leave some herbs so they can survive over cold-leaf and sprout again when the weather warms up," she explained, finally. "He likes to start drying them just before the cold weather hits, so they can last a little longer and we don't end up with a shortage during cold-leaf."

Koipaw swallowed his own bite of the lapwing. "I thought plants grew year-round."

"Not all of them," Apricotpaw replied. "Some do, but most don't. Rhubarb is a good example - apparently it can only be collected in fresh-leaf and hot-leaf, because the plant is so small and dry during every other season. Plumwhisker is already complaining that we don't have enough, even though we haven't had to use it since I became an apprentice."

"What's rhubarb used for?"

Apricotpaw thought for a moment. "Lots of things. Fever and bellyache are the main ones, but Plumwhisker said it's used for something else, too." She frowned. "I can't remember what, though."

Koipaw couldn't blame her. He couldn't imagine trying to remember all the different herbs and what they looked and smelled like and what they were used for and where they grew. He was perfectly content just knowing how to hunt and protect their borders.

"We're still new at this," he reminded her gently. "We'll figure things out as we go. You know Monkeyfur said it took her three moons to catch anything in the bamboo forest?"

Apricotpaw's bright green eyes went wide. "Seriously? But she's the best hunter in the Clan!" Koipaw shrugged.

"That's what she said. So I guess it's okay for us to take our time to learn things."

He felt Apricotpaw let out a purr next to him. It rumbled softly against his pelt, immediately washing him in a comforting feeling that almost reminded him of their late mother. "You're right," she said. "One day we'll be the best in the Clan at our jobs."

Despite his sister's comfort and confidence, and his own semi-successful hunt, Koipaw found himself unable to sleep. It was as though something were missing from the day, like he had forgotten to do something important. But he just couldn't remember what. He twisted and turned in his nest of moss and leaves, but even after Lotuspaw had finally stopped complaining and fallen asleep, he was wide awake.

He frowned and shut his eyes tightly. Come on, sleep! I have to be well-rested for training tomorrow! Nothing. He decided to change his tactic. StarClan, please let me fall asleep! I can't be tired during our session or I won't learn anything!

Finally, his breathing slowed and he was able to drift into sleep.

But his sleep was not restful. He opened his eyes to find himself on the edge of his territory, halfway up the mountain that marked the border between LeafClan and MountainClan. The trees were sparse here. But there were no stars above him, only black sky that sent a shiver down his spine. Koipaw opened his jaws to smell the air.

He had expected to smell Clan cats, or a border, or at least the pine trees he could see only a few fox-lengths away. But instead, what hit his tongue was a dirty, musky, and somewhat tangy scent. He retched backward, only now noticing the cliff behind him. Koipaw looked back up as he held his breath against the scent.

Something, he wasn't sure what, but something, had appeared whiskers away from his face. He froze, heart pounding. It was too dark to see, but he could just barely make out huge, drooling, jaws, lined with massive sharp teeth along the top and bottom. A tongue lolled out to one side, and a large nose sniffed him with hungry motions. Koipaw caught a glimpse of dark yellow eyes shining back at him. The jaws snapped with a deafening bark.

Koipaw turned to run, his fur fluffed out in terror and his heart pounding so fast it drowned out the sound of the creature howling for his flesh. For a brief moment, he turned his head to look over his shoulder, but he saw nothing, even though the sound of the creatures rang around the mountain.

He ran faster, but neglected to look at where he was going out of sheer terror. Soon, he realized that his paws were no longer on solid ground. Looking down, he could see the great expanse of the territory below him. He could see the world spinning around him as he fell, rocks joining him on the journey down the cliff. He could see a pair of eyes to each side - one blue, one green. And, at the top of the cliff, yellow eyes watched him, hungry, thirsty for blood.

He awoke in his own nest. The sun hadn't even risen yet. But how could he possibly sleep after that?


	4. And Today's Lesson Is...

Koipaw gasped for breath, blinking out into the darkness beyond the walls of their den. It felt as though he had run for days. He puffed out his multicoloured fur, shaken, and slid out of the den, needing fresh air.

Stars glittered overhead, hardly a cloud in sight. There was a cool breeze that sent a shiver through his pelt, but it was not so cold he felt inclined to return to his nest. Glancing around, he spotted Tanukimask near the entrance, the tom's dark brown pelt hardly visible in the moonlight. He guarded the camp in silence, the only sounds breaking through the camp walls being the rustling of leaves the occasional snore from Bearpaw in the apprentices' den.

Koipaw padded up to join him, pressing his pelt close to the older warrior's for warmth. Tanukimask gave him a quick nod, curiosity glinting in his dark amber eyes. "Couldn't sleep?"

"Bad dream," Koipaw admitted, still a little shaky. He could still feel the creature's hot breath on his legs, smell its foul odour chasing him through the forest.

Tanukimask nodded thoughtfully. "I know how you feel. When I was an apprentice, I used to have nightmares about failing my assessments or leading an enemy patrol right to our camp."

Koipaw realized quickly that Tanukimask had never had a nightmare like the one he had just had, but he held his tongue. He knew the dark brown tom was just trying to cheer him up. "What did you used to do when you had them?"

"Panic, mostly," he admitted. "But training often took my mind off of it. Why don't you join the dawn patrol? They'll be getting ready to leave soon." Tanukimask glanced towards the sky, and as Koipaw followed his gaze he could see the beginnings of orange and pink along the horizon.

"Will Monkeyfur let me?"

"Sure she will. I'll let her know you went."

Koipaw let out a sigh of relief, shuffling a mousestep closer to the warrior. They sat at the entrance for what felt like moons, keeping guard for their sleeping Clanmates. One day, Koipaw would sit here, too, taking a vigil of silence to reinforce his new position as warrior. He wondered what his full name would be. Thankfully, however, all was quiet in the forest, and it wasn't until Orchidflower and Batear emerged from the warriors den, a yawning Tawnydawn behind them, that the silence was broken.

Tanukimask waved to them with his tail as they approached. "Good morning. Think Koipaw could join you today?"

Orchidflower tilted her head, pretty green eyes boring into the apprentice. Koipaw flinched, but she gave a shrug. "Sure, why not. Just let Monkeyfur know where we've gone." She let out a soft purr. "You sure are up early."

"Couldn't sleep," Koipaw admitted, suddenly sheepish.

"I can't blame you," Batear grunted, clawing at the ground. "I've never met a cat in my life that snores as loud as Bearpaw. We should get going before Tawnydawn falls asleep standing up."

The tawny brown she-cat flicked her ear irritably. "I'm not going to fall asleep."

Orchidflower rolled her eyes and flicked her tail for all three of them to follow. "Alright, we'll get going. See you later, Tanukimask."

Koipaw gave Tanukimask a quick wave of his tail before following the patrol out into the forest. They walked in silence for a while, the only sound being the few birds that began to sing with the morning light. That and Tawnydawn's mild complaining. She and Gingerstep had been the youngest warriors since before he was born, and clearly they were tired of it. Gingerstep simply took his suffering silently while Tawnydawn made it loud and clear.

He glanced up at the Moontree as they passed it. In the light of dawn, it looked almost like the sky. It was massive, easily the tallest tree in the forest. He wondered what it was like up close. All Apricotpaw had been able to tell him was that it was an incredible experience, but Plumwhisker had stopped her from giving too much away.

As they reached the edge of the forest, Orchidflower stopped, holding out her long, brown tail in front of the rest of the patrol. Koipaw peered over her shoulder with interest. He could see the marshes now, where the trees of the forest began to disappear. He wasn't sure why LeafClan had _any_ marshes on their territory, but somehow MarshClan had let them have it. Now, the cream and brown she-cat stared across them, fur along her spine beginning to stand up. Koipaw opened his mouth to smell the air, but all he could smell was the border markings.

"What's wrong?" he asked Tawnydawn in a hushed whisper.

"A MarshClan patrol is nearby," she explained just as quietly. "Watch Orchidflower for the signal to approach – they might just be remarking their border as well." Koipaw obeyed, opening his jaws to scent the air. All he could smell was muck. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. He had no idea how MarshClan cats could stand wading around in that all day, few trees and ferns to cover their tracks and protect them from the sun and rain.

A moment later, Orchidflower flicked her tail to one side, and the patrol crouched down to follow her into the marshes and towards the border. Koipaw suddenly felt his heart racing. What if there would be a fight? He hadn't had a lot of battle training yet, and if they were outnumbered, he knew he would be the one sent back to camp for help, even if he wanted to.

He winced as mud got beneath his paws. It felt disgusting, welling up between his claws and making every step feel sticky. He yanked his paw out of the sinking mud, wrinkling his face in disgust.

Batear let out a low growl a few tail-lengths in front of him, and Koipaw looked up, alarmed. Orchidflower rose her head above the grass, eyes narrowed. She paused. Then with a flick of her tail, the patrol burst forward, mud splashing behind them as they ran towards the border. Koipaw followed as best he could, mud spattering his coat. He skidded to a halt half a tail-length behind Tawnydawn, wincing at the wet soil sprinkling his face and sinking through his claws.

"Trespassers!" snarled Tawnydawn, bristling. Koipaw unsheathed his claws into the soft earth, heart pounding and blue eyes wide. There really was going to be a fight!

He could see a little better now with fewer grass and reeds to block his vision. He peered through the cats at the shape they were cornering against a rock. It was a dark tortoiseshell tom, his long fur puffed out in challenge. He didn't look any older than Koipaw. A heap of prey lay at his paws, but he was standing protectively over it.

Four more cats burst through the reeds on the other side. They smelled of mud and water – Koipaw guessed it was the rest of the MarshClan patrol. Mud coated their legs and underbellies, while their backs arched in a challenge. Koipaw couldn't help but hide slightly behind Tawnydawn, his rare calico pelt hidden in the reeds as the dawn sun came into view.

"I caught it," declared the tom, eyes burning as he stared them down as though he weren't smaller than most of them. "It's our prey!"

Tawnydawn didn't seem to care that it was obviously an apprentice that she was staring down, and her tawny brown tail lashed back and forth as she snapped, "You crossed the border to catch it!"

Orchidflower rested her tail gently over the younger warrior's shoulder. "I don't want a fight," she urged, though her tone was icy. Koipaw flinched back out of range of Tawnydawn's tail as it swept in front of his face faster than a mouse. "Perhaps there is a peaceful solution to all of this."

"But that's our prey!" Tawnydawn argued, tearing her glare away from the apprentice for a brief moment to glance pleadingly at the senior warrior.

"It's ours," grunted one of the MarshClan cats. He was pale brown, a striped tail puffed out behind them as he held his ground. He was at least twice the size of Koipaw. "We caught it."

"We are not on a hunting patrol," hissed the spotted brown tom next to him. He lifted his head to glare at the apprentice. "Russetpaw should _not_ have gone after it in the first place."

The other tom snorted. "I'm leading this patrol, Snailspots, not you."

Orchidflower let out a growl, the fur rising along her spine. "You can't even control your apprentices, let alone the warriors on your patrol, Vipertail." Now that she had revealed the tom's name, Koipaw could see the resemblance. Although he was large and intimidating, his frame was actually quite sleek, accenting a narrow face with sharp green eyes. He really did look like a viper.

Russetpaw ignored them, placing a paw on the small, green, almost scaly piece of prey defensively. Koipaw lifted his head slightly for a better view, wondering what it was. He had never seen prey like that before. But as he stared at it, the dark tom shot him a venomous look, and Koipaw winced away.

Vipertail, apparently having missed the brief exchange between the apprentices, growled back at the LeafClan she-cat. "Don't tell me how to run my patrol. If we see prey, we're not going to walk away from it."

"You can't just cross the border whenever it's convenient," snarled Batear.

"Your lot doesn't even _eat_ lizards," Vipertail retorted. "So what's the problem?"

"The _problem_ ," said a white she-cat, stepping up to stand between the two toms, "is that Russetpaw crossed the border to catch it. Which he _should not have done_." She added the last few words coolly, seeming to rake Russetpaw over with her gaze. He flinched and looked away.

"Take your catch," Orchidflower ordered. "And don't even _think_ of setting a paw across the border again. I'll consider it an accident for today." She narrowed her eyes, but apparently not wanting to start a fight over such a small piece of prey, the white she-cat circled around the patrol, leading them away from the border. As she did so, she hissed something in Russetpaw's ear, but whatever she said only made his scowl worse. Vipertail took up the rear, shooting the LeafClan patrol a dirty look as he passed.

Koipaw let out the breath he had unknowingly been holding as they disappeared. He felt a pelt brush his and looked up to see Orchidflower's dark muzzle staring down at him.

"And the lesson today is not to cross the border just to make a catch," she said, rather matter-of-factly. "Hopefully Russetpaw's mentor has a firm word with him when their patrol returns."

Tawnydawn let out a frustrated snarl. "His mentor is Wolfrunner, isn't it? He'll either get sent back to the nursery or praised under all the stars of StarClan for that."

Koipaw tilted his head. Hadn't Russetpaw done something wrong? Vipertail didn't think so, but the other two warriors on the patrol had clearly been angry with him. That should have meant he would be punished for it, no matter what. Wolfrunner must be a bad mentor, if he was willing to let Russetpaw get away with stealing prey, even if it _had_ been an accident. Monkeyfur would have skinned him for that.

"Lucky Cranestep has a decent head on her shoulders," Batear grunted, scratching one ear. "Those mudbrains don't think before they act. Come on, let's remark the borders and go report to Clovestar."

Following the warriors as they marked the scent lines, Koipaw glanced back over his shoulder at the border along the marshes. Even Bearpaw had the sense not to cross into another Clan's territory like that, and he was the most obnoxious cat Koipaw knew. He was glad no one in LeafClan was as arrogant as Russetpaw. He couldn't imagine what it was like to live with someone like that.


	5. A Few New Frenemies

Koipaw paced with excitement around the clearing. His first gathering! His pads tingled with eagerness to get moving, but Clovestar was still chatting with Bambootail near the entrance while the Clan gathered.

Bearpaw was the only apprentice staying behind, having strained his shoulder falling off a bamboo stalk the day before. He had been convinced he could climb it despite its narrow and slick trunk, but had been proven wrong by his fall. Koipaw watched him flinch as Bambootail shot his apprentice a disappointed look, but Gingerstep gave the deputy a cheerful wave of the tail from beside Bearpaw. The pale brown tom had volunteered to stay behind to make sure Bearpaw didn't try to use his leg too much or try to follow the patrol. Bearpaw was easily the least pleased by this arrangement.

Koipaw felt Apricotpaw's bright orange pelt brush his as she padded up. He gave her a quick purr. "Ready?"

"Definitely!" she replied. "Plumwhisker says I can meet the other apprentices since I met the medicine cats already. It's too bad Bearpaw can't come, too." She glanced sympathetically at the brown and black tom.

"He brought this upon himself," said Ricepaw as the pretty tabby she-cat padded up to join them. "He seems to think he's a squirrel, now."

"Clovestar should change his name to 'Squirrelpaw', if he's so convinced he can climb anything," Koipaw joked. "Then his warrior name could be 'Squirrelfall'." Ricepaw let out a snort of laughter.

But his timing had been poor. Just as she began to laugh, Koipaw felt a tail cuff his ears, and he ducked too late. Squeaking in surprise, he looked up, horrified to see Plumwhisker, who had appeared seemingly out of nowhere.

"No need to rub salt in the wound," the medicine cat said. "I think he's learned his lesson."

Ricepaw let out an amused mew as Plumwhisker padded up to join Clovestar and Bambootail, not even having waited for an apology. "Bad luck." Koipaw sank down, dejected. "Don't worry, _I_ thought it was funny. 'Your warrior name will be Squirrelfall, for how you thought you were a squirrel and fell out of a bamboo tree!'"

Koipaw snorted with laughter. "StarClan honours his bravery _and_ stupidity!"

Before Ricepaw could reply, Clovestar let a yowl, signalling the patrol to follow. The three apprentices leapt to their feet and raced after them through the fern tunnel.

Overhead, the moon shone brightly, hardly a cloud in sight. Stars glittered down over them, as though their ancestors were watching them meet in truce. A chill spread through the air. Cold-sun would be upon them soon. Koipaw wondered if it would snow. He vaguely remembered it from his time as a kit in the nursery, but there had been little of it. He hadn't even had the opportunity to step in it for himself.

As they approached the Moontree, its branches and leaves shining in the moonlight, Clovestar turned sharply away from it, avoiding the pool of water that covered the island in favour of a small but well-worn path around to the left. Koipaw looked at the tree while they passed. It was truly magnificent. He glanced to Apricotpaw to ask her opinion of the tree that signified StarClan, but she was looking away, green eyes wandering around the darkness of the forest. He supposed it wasn't as exciting to her, since she had already been there for the medicine cats' half-moon gathering, and she would be there many times in the future.

They reached the other side of the small lake and pushed through a well-worn path in the bushes. They emerged in groups of two and three into a massive clearing, at least the size of three of their camps. Koipaw looked around in awe.

Another Clan was already here, and as LeafClan arrived they began to spread out and mingle. Koipaw opened his mouth to smell the air. The other cats smelled of water and rock – they had to be MountainClan. The Clan along the north were quiet and as sturdy as the rocks and pines they called home on the mountain, but they seemed friendly now that it was a Gathering. Koipaw looked the other direction at the Moontree. It was clearly visible from the Gathering place, almost seeming to give them approval from StarClan itself.

"Don't just stand there," said Cranefeather, padding up next to Koipaw and Apricotpaw. "You can talk to other cats."

Koipaw glanced up at his father, suddenly feeling relaxed by his presence from an anxiety he hadn't even noticed was there. "Are we allowed?"

"Of course," Cranefeather purred. "You shouldn't go telling them LeafClan secrets, but you can get to know them. It's good to know what cats in other Clans are like." With a gentle wave of his black-tipped tail, Cranefeather disappeared into the crowd.

Koipaw and his sister glanced around, looking for someone to talk to. His heart sunk as he realized he didn't recognize any of the MountainClan cats in the clearing. But how could he? He had never run into one of their patrols before, so he had had no chance to meet any of their warriors or apprentices.

Thankfully, he soon spotted Ricepaw speaking to a pawful of apprentices off to one side of the clearing. He perked his ears, wondering if they could join them, but then the tabby she-cat turned and waved them over with her tail, yellow eyes shining in the moonlight. Koipaw nudged Apricotpaw towards them, feeling as though a weight had been lifted off his chest. He was grateful Ricepaw was a little more outgoing than he was.

"This is Koipaw and Apricotpaw," she announced as they reached her. "They're our newest apprentices."

There were three MountainClan cats speaking to her, all evidently older than Koipaw and Apricotpaw. The biggest one was a yellow tom, muscles beginning to show under his soft fur. The younger apprentices were a pale gray tom and a dark gray tabby she-cat, who greeted him lightheartedly and shyly, respectively.

"I'm Gingerpaw," the yellow tom announced. Koipaw blinked in surprise that he was still an apprentice - he must have been close to earning his warrior name.

"I'm Goosepaw," the other tom followed. He flicked his tail to the tabby hiding behind him. "This is my sister, Shypaw. Our other sister is somewhere with her mentor," he added with a shrug, briefly glancing over his shoulder.

Shypaw followed her brother's gaze quickly before snapping her attention back to the LeafClan apprentices. Her blue eyes were wide with either fear or wonder, but it was unclear which. Koipaw dipped his head politely, and she flinched back behind her brother. No wonder her name was Shypaw.

"I wonder where MarshClan is," Gingerpaw thought aloud. He was scanning the clearing, already over the arrival of Koipaw and Apricotpaw. "I wanted to ask Leopardpaw if she ever caught that snake."

"Maybe the snake caught _her_ ," replied Goosepaw, his tail curled in amusement.

"Don't be so morbid!" snapped Apricotpaw. Although her tone was harsh, laughter still glittered in her eyes.

Ricepaw turned her head and opened her jaws to scent the air. Koipaw did the same, and realized there was a new, slightly more familiar scent in the air. "I think they're coming now," she announced.

A few heartbeats later, a small, pale gray tabby tom pushed through the same fern tunnel LeafClan had used when they had arrived. Beside him padded a massive, dusky brown tom, holding his head high and his chest puffed out. _That must be Webstar,_ Koipaw thought, eyes wide.

But, to his surprise, the smaller tom was the one to flick his tail and cause the warriors behind them to disperse. Koipaw watched in amazement as the small cat walked up to the spruce tree and leapt up next to the huge white form of Heronstar.

"Webstar is so small!" he gasped, a little too loudly. Ricepaw slapped her tail over his mouth.

"Well compared to Heronstar, everyone is small!"

"He's bigger up close," added a new voice. Koipaw turned to see a thick-furred tortoiseshell she-cat padding up to them. She looked a bit like Russetpaw, but before Koipaw could ask about it, the tom in question appeared beside her. They had to be siblings.

"Hello Nightpaw, Russetpaw!" purred Gingerpaw, dipping his head. "Where's Leopardpaw? Did she catch that snake?"

"We got to come instead," Russetpaw retorted, puffing out his chest. "She tried to catch it, but it nearly bit her. Sprucetail really let her have it."

Nightpaw tilted her head, her gaze searching as she stared at Koipaw and Apricotpaw. Koipaw felt a shiver run down his spine. Were _all_ MarshClan cats like this? "Who's this?"

"Koipaw and Apricotpaw," Ricepaw introduced cheerfully.

But Apricotpaw was no longer listening. She raised her head over the others, scanning the clearing for something. "Is Frogpaw here?"

Nightpaw blinked in understanding. "Oh, you're the apprentice he was telling us about. He went with Rippleleaf over there." She flicked her fluffy tail towards the medicine cats, sitting in a semi-circle around one of the roots of the spruce tree that held the leaders. A small, spotted tabby tom was speaking eagerly to Plumwhisker and a second, splotchy tom that Koipaw didn't recognize. Next to them was a tabby she-cat, nodding once in a while but not really contributing to the conversation.

Apricotpaw glanced apologetically at Koipaw. "Do you mind if I go and talk to him? We didn't have a lot of time at the half-moon meeting."

Koipaw nuzzled her briefly. "Of course not, go ahead." Nodding her thanks, Apricotpaw turned and bolted towards her friend, leaving Koipaw and Ricepaw as the only LeafClan cats in the group of apprentices.

Beside Nightpaw, Russetpaw narrowed his green eyes thoughtfully. "Oh, you're that apprentice that was hiding behind his patrol the other day."

Koipaw felt his fur stand on end. He dug his claws into the soft earth, trying not to lash out at the tom. "I wasn't hiding!" he snapped. "It was Orchidflower's patrol - I was just following her orders!" Russetpaw simply shrugged.

"Seemed like hiding to me. I could barely see you behind your tiny warriors." Koipaw clenched his jaw.

"At least _I_ didn't cross the border to catch such a scrawny piece of prey!"

Russetpaw snapped his icy gaze back to him. "I was hunting for my Clan," he argued proudly. "It's not my fault your border lines were poorly marked."

Koipaw was about to swipe at the arrogant apprentice's muzzle when Goosepaw stepped between them. Reluctantly, Koipaw let his fur relax as the tom said, "Come on now, it's a Gathering. Let's not fight." On the other side of the tom, Russetpaw narrowed his eyes in anger, turning his back on them and stalking away as though he had been the victim of some offense.

Ricepaw snorted. "I see his attitude hasn't improved since last moon."

Nightpaw, however, seemed more concerned than angry. "I'd better make sure he doesn't try and pick a fight with a warrior," she muttered. She turned and gave a quick wave of her tail. "I'll see you all later." Without waiting for a reply, she disappeared into the mess of warriors.

Shypaw's eyes were wide, and she was pressed close to Gingerpaw for protection. "Is he always like that?"

"Unfortunately," replied Lotuspaw, replacing the MarshClan apprentices. "Only his second Gathering and he's already walking around like he owns the place. I pity Wolfrunner for trying to mentor _that_ furball."

Silently, Koipaw had to agree. He was glad none of his denmates were that annoying - he couldn't imagine having to share a den with someone like Russetpaw. As much as he hated Bearpaw's snoring and Lotuspaw's smugness, neither of them were ever as bad as the dark tom.

Before anyone could respond to the cream she-cat's remark, Clovestar's meow rang throughout the clearing. Cats began to swarm near the spruce, seating themselves neatly within view of its looming branches. Koipaw lifted his head over the crowd, grateful when he sighted his mentor near the side. He raced to join her, giving a quick nod to the MountainClan apprentices as he passed. In only a few heartbeats, Koipaw had sat himself next to Monkeyfur.

He looked around the base of the spruce as cats settled. To one side he could see Bambootail, and two other warriors he did not recognize. Next to the LeafClan deputy was a beautiful, longhaired white she-cat, her fur smoothed neatly and glistening in the moonlight. She looked regal next to the two toms, the other of which was the massive dusky brown tom Koipaw had spotted earlier. Koipaw followed the tom's gaze into the crowd, and found himself staring at Russetpaw near the front of the crowd. He turned back. _That must be Wolfrunner, then,_ he thought. _So Russetpaw is the deputy's apprentice._

To the other side of the spruce sat Apricotpaw and Plumwhisker, next to three other cats that must have been the other medicine cats. From this angle he could see the MountainClan medicine cat a little better now - a lithe brown tabby with her tail curled around her paws, ears pricked as she glanced between the leaders and the Clan cats below.

Clovestar's sturdy meow brought Koipaw back to attention. "Cats of all Clans, we welcome you to tonight's Gathering. StarClan blesses us with a clear, full moon, and we pray they look over us for seasons to come."

As she finished her last sentence, all three leaders rose to their paws and dipped their heads, the warriors below following suit. Koipaw felt his mentor's tail flick his shoulder for him to do the same. Startled, he lowered his head, but something tugged at his chest to turn around. Quickly, he whipped his head to face the back of the clearing. He had to stifle a gasp.

The Moontree shone under the full moon, making itself a lone beacon in an otherwise dark night. Pale yellow leaves danced along the branches, making it appear as though the entire tree were bowing back to the gathering of cats across the water. Koipaw's eyes widened as he watched it, paws firmly rooted to the spot in awe. How could Apricotpaw ever _stop_ talking about this tree? He blinked and raised his head with the rest of the warriors.

"This moon has been good to us," Clovestar began. "Prey is still plentiful despite the cooling weather, and the Tall-legs have stopped coming through the bamboo forest. However," she added, more seriously, "this does not mean we have become lax with our borders." A few scattered whispers appeared and vanished within the crowd. Koipaw winced. Clovestar must have been referring to the border dispute with MarshClan. But she continued without elaborating. "Two new kits have been born to Peachwhisker, and we have two new apprentices: Koipaw has been apprenticed to Monkeyfur, and Apricotpaw to Plumwhisker."

Koipaw's chest swelled with pride as the Clans called out his and his sister's names. He spotted her sitting with her head held high, tail quivering with excitement. All too soon, the moment was over and the cheering calmed down, leaving Clovestar able to speak once more. "I pass the branch to the next leader." Like it was nothing, Koipaw watched her twist around the branch and leap to a lower one just as Webstar took her place. It was almost like watching two fish circle one another.

Webstar was small, as Koipaw had noted before, but up on the spruce, he looked more authoritative. His tabby stripes were hardly visible in the dim light, and he lifted his head until it was fully basked in moonlight. "MarshClan has also been faring well. Prey grows fat for cold-leaf, giving us as much as we can eat. Two new kits have been born to Mallowflower." A murmur of congratulations spread through the clearing.

Somewhere, he heard a familiar voice call out, "They're mine! And they'll be the best warriors the valley has ever seen!" Koipaw turned his head, ignoring the amused purr rumble through the crowd. He could see Vipertail's sleek head raised above the others, his pale green eyes shining.

Webstar dipped his head politely. "Yes, and I know they'll be wonderful warriors. I pass the branch to the next leader."

Again, Koipaw watched in amazement as leaders switched places. The branch shook as Heronstar took his place, evidently standing taller than Webstar. Muscles rippled through his white pelt, and his black ears twitched for silence.

"The prey has begun hiding in our territory," he began honestly, "but fish still run rampant in our river. They will feed us for moons to come. We have three new apprentices this moon: Goosepaw to Ospreyclaw, Shypaw to Serowfur, and Frecklepaw to Magnoliabreath."

Koipaw felt himself caught up in the cheers as they erupted in the clearing. He hadn't realized the MountainClan apprentices he had met were also at their first Gathering. He felt a sudden wave of solidarity with them. No wonder Shypaw had looked so, well, _shy_.

The other Clans hardly seemed different at all, other than what they ate and where they lived. He briefly wondered why the Clans even bothered with borders, but then shook out his fur at the thought. Of _course_ the Clans couldn't share territory – just look at the dispute over the MarshClan border with a single apprentice.

As Heronstar finished speaking, Clovestar stood from her place on the branch below. "We end tonight with a prayer to StarClan," she bellowed over the crowd. "We pray they continue to guide us and give us food. We pray for peace and stability, and we give thanks for the lives they give us. May StarClan light your paths."

"May StarClan light your paths," the Clans replied. Koipaw blinked. The cats had begun to split into their own smaller groups already. He turned as he felt Monkeyfur tap her tail on his shoulder.

"How did you like the Gathering?"

"It was incredible!" he exclaimed. "There are so many cats! And the other Clans are different but they're also so similar to us!"

Monkeyfur let out an amused purr. "We all just want the same things – food, shelter, and protection. Though borders separate us, at our cores, we are the same." Koipaw nodded eagerly. "We're separate Clans, but we are all Clan cats. Always remember that."

 _We're separate Clans, but we are all Clan cats_.

The words rang in Koipaw's head as they made the cheerful trek back to camp. He wondered if there had ever been a time when the Clans had been forced to work together, ignoring their borders and differences. He shuddered at the thought of having to work with someone like Russetpaw, but in the back of his mind, Koipaw knew if he had to, to save his Clan, he would in a heartbeat. He glanced at his sister, padding lightly beside him as she recounted her conversation with Frogpaw about what they had been learning from their mentors. Koipaw now knew with certainty that he would do anything he had to to protect his Clan.

Suddenly, his mind snapped back to the dream he had had several nights before. Snapping jaws, hot breath, low growls and loud howls. He froze mid-step, fur standing on end. It had been days since he had thought about the horrid nightmare. Cold dread swept through his body as he followed the warriors back home.


	6. Going for a Swim

Shypaw peered from behind the spruce tree, eyes wide. She knew she would fail her stalking assessment if Gingerpaw spotted her, but he was fully engrossed in the shrew he was stalking. He had taken a leaning to catching mountain prey, a stark contrast to Goosepaw, who Shypaw had noticed seemed to feel most at home fishing in the river. Gingerpaw would probably be a pine-hunter.

Gingerpaw placed one paw down slowly, making no sound as his weight shifted, even though pine needles littered the ground below. The shrew still hadn't noticed him. The yellow apprentice became very still, his eyes frozen on the prey. Then, with a skillful pounce, he landed on the shrew and killed it with a swift bite to its neck.

"Wow!" Shypaw exclaimed a little too loudly, forgetting her assessment. At the sound of her voice, Gingerpaw turned to face her, eyes wide, the shrew still dangling from his mouth.

There was an exasperated sigh from above her. Her fur went cold. A moment later, Serowfur had leapt from the spruce tree, landing neatly on all four paws. "Shypaw," he began.

"I know! I'm sorry!" She had failed! Disappointment ran through her pelt. "Gingerpaw was just so into that hunt, I was so impressed! I had to watch!"

Gingerpaw said nothing, but merely tilted his head in embarrassment. Serowfur sighed and gave the tom a flick of his pale brown tail, signalling for him to continue his hunt. With a quick nod, Gingerpaw disappeared into the woods again. Serowfur turned back to his apprentice. Shypaw crouched down, preparing herself for the lecture.

"If you can't pay attention to your own assessments, you will never become a warrior," he warned. "This is the third time this moon, Shypaw."

She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry, Serowfur."

His expression was unreadable, but Shypaw was sure she saw disappointment and anger flicker in his gaze. "If you're sorry, you can go hunting before you return to camp. Hopefully you're better at stalking prey than you are at cats. Catch as much as you can carry, then you can come back."

"Yes, Serowfur."

He turned his back to her and stalked back down the mountain without another word. Shypaw let out a hefty sigh. Why did she always get so distracted? She wanted to be a good warrior, but she never seemed to do anything right. She got caught trying to sneak up on her Clanmates, missed half her prey, and could never seem to do well in any of the battle practices. She had even lost a play match with Pouncekit. It was as though her own body was telling her she wasn't cut out to be a warrior. She rose to her paws and began sniffing out prey, though her legs seemed to drag against the ground as she did so.

A quarter-moon into her apprenticeship, Shypaw had even considered becoming Ottersong's apprentice, instead. If she couldn't hunt or fight, perhaps she was better suited to be a medicine cat. But when she had walked into Ottersong's den to ask her opinion, the she-cat had been dressing a nasty scrape on Pittaflight's shoulder, and Shypaw had been so disgusted by the wound that she hadn't stepped foot in the den since.

But if she was bad at everything, what was her role supposed to be?

Soon, she caught the scent of a mouse, and crouched low, keeping her eyes peeled for the small rodent. Serowfur's words rang in her ears. _Mice will feel you before they hear or scent you. Keep light on your paws._ Gingerly, she stepped forward, careful not to step on a branch or put all her weight down at once. She was small, but she knew from experience that even her stature would be enough to startle a mouse.

She spotted it a few tail-lengths away. Was it close enough to pounce now? Unconfident, Shypaw shuffled towards it until she could see its whiskers twitch as it sniffed out food. She lifted her tail to feel the breeze. She wasn't quite downwind, but she wasn't upwind of it, either. Bunching her haunches, she leapt.

Bones crunched underneath her forepaws as she landed perfectly. The mouse let out a tiny squeak, but before it could attempt to escape, Shypaw killed it with a swift bite. Though she had made the catch rather easily, frustration began to build up inside her. Why did she only do well when no one was watching her? She wanted to prove to her mentor that she was learning, but it was difficult to do so when she froze up whenever she was being watched.

It didn't take long before she had managed to catch another mouse and a plump, gray squirrel. The prey filled her entire mouth, causing it to water at the scent. But she resisted the urge to eat any, remembering the warrior code in the back of her head. The nursery and elders had to be fed first, and she had to prove to Serowfur that she would be a loyal warrior that followed the code as best she could. That meant bringing prey back for the Clan before eating anything herself.

Shypaw leapt skillfully down from the edge of the spruce forest, towards the river that made its way down the mountain and separated the northern part of their territory from MarshClan. She knew that towards the ocean, the river widened, and the only way to MarshClan territory from that side was a single strip of stepping stones that peeked over a small dip in elevation. Towards the Tall-leg camp, the borders were less defined, no significant markers other than the thinning of the spruce forest into bamboo.

The MountainClan camp was a short ways up the mountain, guarded by a stream that had formed off of the main river, protected on the other side by steep cliffs and broadleaf trees. Shypaw followed the stream towards it, shivering at the cool mountain breeze that ruffled her fur and guided her home. She struggled slightly over the stepping stones, trying to ignore the water lapping at her paws, but it was ice cold, and at first step, she jumped and nearly dropped her catches. She had learned the basics of swimming, but the cold water did nothing for her. Her brother seemed to relish in it, for some reason, but she would rather have stayed warm and dry in this instance.

She let out a relieved breath through her nose as she slipped past the vines on the other side, paws still dripping with ice cold water, but warmth greeting her as the wind died down and the scent of her Clanmates overwhelmed her. Though her belly rumbled in protest, Shypaw rested her catches on the caught-prey pile and shook out her fur, puffing it out to twice its size in an attempt to warm up quicker. She knew food would help, but she couldn't. Not if she wanted to be a warrior. She would need a warrior's permission before she took anything for herself.

She looked around hopefully for Serowfur, but the pale brown tom was nowhere to be found. Shypaw's tail drooped in disappointment. Her hunger aside, she had wanted him to see what she had managed to catch. Maybe he would have seen that she could still be a warrior, even if she failed every assessment he threw at her. A little hurt, Shypaw picked up the squirrel and made her way across the rocky clearing to the nursery.

She could hear the mewling of kits before she even poked her head through the vines that covered the entrance. It was dark inside, but as her eyes adjusted, she could see Ducksplash and Chestnutfoot curled up in their nests, watching Lavenderkit, Wisteriakit, and Pouncekit try and teach Bubblekit and Stagkit how to play fish. The two youngest kits didn't seem to understand the complicated rules. Shypaw's tail curled in amusement.

Ducksplash lifted her head as she entered, blinking green eyes at the apprentice appreciatively. "Is that for us?"

Shypaw nodded and hurried farther into the den, dropping it between the two queens. "I wanted to make sure you had eaten," she explained quietly, hoping no one else had thought to bring any food to the nursery, yet.

Chestnutfoot let out a soft purr. "How sweet of you. You'll make an excellent warrior, one day." Shypaw felt her fur flush hot with embarrassment. She was sure the pretty queen wouldn't be saying that if she had seen her poor performance during her stalking assessment earlier.

She dipped her head without a word, waving to the kits with her tail as she turned and exited the den.

She sighed once she reached the open air again. Everyone except her mentor, and now Gingerpaw, seemed to have high hopes for her, but she wasn't meeting their expectations. She couldn't do anything if she was being watched. There was no way she could become a warrior like that, unable to pass any assessment. She wished she could be more like her littermates, always managing to impress their mentors with _something_. Goosepaw had a natural talent for swimming, and Frecklepaw picked things up so quickly Shypaw was amazed she hadn't already been made a warrior.

Her thoughts were pulled away as she spotted the pale brown pelt of Serowfur push through the entrance with Koisplash. They each had two fish in their jaws. Shypaw watched them drop their prey on the pile, hoping for her mentor to notice her sitting across the clearing. After a few tense heartbeats, to her relief, he did, and with a sigh he made his way over to her.

"What did you catch?" he asked, somewhat doubtfully.

Shypaw flinched at his tone, but replied calmly. "Two mice and a huge squirrel. I just took the squirrel to Ducksplash and Chestnutfoot."

His blue eyes widened in surprise. "You already fed the queens?"

She tilted her head, confused. "Of course, I did. Apprentices aren't allowed to eat until the queens and elders are fed, right?"

"No, you're right, thank you." He blinked the surprise away. "I admire your proactiveness. Some of that could stand to rub off on your siblings." Shypaw dipped her head, embarrassed. She hadn't expected such praise from such a simple task. "You can grab something for yourself, now, but would you mind if we had a word, first?"

The warm feeling she had gotten from her mentor's praise vanished instantly. Trying to keep her voice from shaking, Shypaw replied, "Of course."

Serowfur led her to the side of the nursery, in the gap between it and the apprentice's den along the river. He motioned for her to sit.

"You aren't a bad apprentice," he began. Shypaw braced herself for more criticism. "You can't focus during training sessions, and you struggle with what I try to tell you, but," he added, a little kinder, "you seem to do fine on your own. You did well on your hunt, and you took the initiative to make sure the queens were fed without being asked. I can't be angry with you for that." Shypaw blinked in surprise. Was he praising her again? Truly, really, praising her? So much praise from Serowfur in one day was so rare that she wasn't fully sure it was actually happening.

"I was just following the warrior code," she explained quickly. Surely most warriors would have done the same.

"And I'm glad you do," he purred. "But if you can catch that much prey so quickly, you're clearly doing better than I thought you were based on our training sessions. How would you feel about solo-training?"

She tilted her head. "Solo-training?"

Nodding, he continued. "I'll cut our sessions short so that you can practice on your own."

The idea intrigued her. She always did better without anyone watching, so perhaps if she could practice alone, she could focus more on what she was doing. "How would you know what I need to fix?"

"I could have you show me the next time we train, so we could spend time on that before moving on. It might take you longer to perfect things, but you should pick them up a little bit faster this way. It will balance out. Do you think you could handle this?"

Thoughtful, Shypaw kneaded the ground. Would this really work? Could she become better if she trained this way? She thought back to her hunt earlier, then nodded, suddenly determined. "I'll try it."

Serowfur's tail curled happily, and he gave her ear a swift lick. "Excellent. Let's start right away. Grab something to eat, then go somewhere quiet to practice your stalking, and I'll take a look at your progress tomorrow."

Shypaw leapt to her paws, suddenly excited. "Yes, Serowfur!" She raced to the fresh-kill pile, grabbing a small fish without even looking at what it was. She wanted to get to work as soon as she could.

Over the next quarter-moon, Shypaw finished her sessions with Serowfur a little early, and would disappear into the forest to practice whatever he had shown her. The peace of knowing she wasn't being watched, no one was judging her, and the quiet of being alone offered her the focus she needed to pay attention to what she was doing. The only thing she wasn't allowed to do on her own was swim, but no apprentice was.

Though she was now training on her own half the time, Shypaw still found herself forced to train with her littermates every few days. Goosepaw broke the surface of the shallow water, long whiskers dripping and a carp hanging from his jaws. He slipped onto the solid ground beside her and shook out his fur, ignoring the angry hiss from Frecklepaw.

Ospreyclaw flicked her tail irritably. "We're here to practice fishing from _land_ , not from the water."

Goosepaw shrugged as he dropped the prey. "But if I caught it, does it matter?"

Shypaw glanced at the water, no shadows catching her eye. "It does if you scared away all the other fish."

"Good, it means we don't have to get our paws wet anymore," huffed Frecklepaw. Shypaw turned to her sister, head tilted.

"You can't be scared of the water forever."

"I'm not _scared_ , I just don't like getting my paws wet."

"Alright," Serowfur interjected, "that's enough. Well done, Shypaw, you're correct. Because Goosepaw jumped in to catch a fish," he shot an angry glance at the young tom, "the other fish realized something was wrong and fled. They won't be back for a while, yet."

But Goosepaw didn't seem to mind the criticism. "Can we practice swimming, then?"

"I'm not _rewarding_ you for scaring off all the prey," Ospreyclaw hissed at her apprentice.

Serowfur nodded gravely. "She's right. We can practice swimming another day. _You_ need to learn some restraint."

"Why don't you and Goosepaw take the prey back to camp and come meet you all by the pond for some battle training?" suggested Magnoliabreath, though her eyes were dark with disappointment at the apprentice. Shypaw almost felt sorry for him, knowing Ospreyclaw would lecture him the entire walk, but he _had_ scared off all the fish in the river.

The other mentors agreed with little discussion, apparently pleased to leave Goosepaw to listen to the spike-furred she-cat's lecture for a while. Shypaw turned at her mentor's command, and together the four of them slipped into the pine forest upstream from where they had been fishing.

The pond was a broad term the Clan had given to, well, a pond, on their territory, but it also encapsulated the area around it. The pond itself was considered neutral territory between MountainClan and LeafClan, though MountainClan claimed everything uphill. On their side was a wide stretch of flat, soft ground, made up of sand and dirt, marked by reeds and cattails along the edge of the pond, creating a gentle opening that made the entire area a perfect place for apprentices to practice their swimming and battle skills.

The LeafClan side was instantly recognizable by its sudden tree density that began just past the boulders that marked where the slope turned downhill, down the mountain and into their territory. From the top of one of the boulders, one could see the tops of the trees in their territory, and even some of the bamboo sticking its stems between the trees, but little else. From what Shypaw had been told, LeafClan preferred the dense coverage to the open areas that made up MountainClan territory.

Frecklepaw bounded a few fox-lengths ahead. Her spotted gray fur was bristling with excitement as she slid to a halt at the edge of the sand. "Hurry up, Shypaw!" Shypaw raced to catch up, digging up dirt behind her as she ran.

"There's no rush," Magnoliabreath purred.

Serowfur let out a gentle yawn as he caught up. "Let's review the move we practiced last time. The leg toss," he added to the soft-furred she-cat as she shot him a confused glance. "Shypaw can go first."

Shypaw hardly had time to agree before her sister leaped and tackled her to the ground. She was the fighter of the three, more comfortable with her claws digging into another cat than she was in the water or on a hunt. Frecklepaw placed her weight low, pinning Shypaw with strong forelegs and an incredible sense of balance. For a moment, Shypaw had the thought that if Frecklepaw weren't so afraid of water, her balance would have made her a great fisher. But she shook her head and tried to focus. What had Serowfur taught her about the leg toss?

It wasn't a hard move, theoretically, but in practice it was hard to perform depending on the size of the cat on top. Shypaw thought quickly about what she had been practicing the other day on a rock she had covered with moss to act as a practice weight. In one quick move, she kicked her hind legs upward into Frecklepaw's chest, and as the spotted she-cat began to lose her balance, Shypaw pushed with all her might, sending Frecklepaw flying back into the sand. Shypaw scrambled to her paws before she could get back on top, fur bushed out to make her look twice her size.

"Well done!"

She turned at the sound of her mentor's praise, chest fluttering. She dipped her head respectfully. "Thank you, Serowfur. I was just doing what you taught me."

"No need to be modest," Magnoliabreath said. Her eyes were wide as she waited for her own apprentice to get up and return to them. "You've made a lot of improvements lately."

"I'm still the best fighter," Frecklepaw spat, shaking sand out of her fur. "I bet I can do the move better than you."

Shypaw simply tilted her head. "Probably."

"It's not about who's better," Magnoliabreath reminded them. "It's about who is putting in the effort to better themselves. Do you remember what I told you to work on the last time?"

Frecklepaw frowned irritably. "Kicking straight back instead of at an angle."

Her mentor nodded. "That's right. Let's see if you can toss Shypaw straight back instead of into a bush."

Shypaw shot her sister a sympathetic glance, but she was having none of it. She didn't take criticism very well. Frecklepaw always had to be the best, and if she wasn't, she would make sure she _became_ the best. Shypaw supposed she wasn't unlike Gingerpaw in that respect, even though the yellow tom had no apprentices his age to compete against. He simply trained to be the best that he could be, instead.

Shypaw tackled Frecklepaw with far less enthusiasm, but still kept in mind the techniques her mentor had taught her to stay on top of an enemy. Keep your weight low, bend your legs, stay balanced, try and distract them. Shypaw pretended to bite at her sister's muzzle, but she took little notice of the poor attempt to keep her mind off of the task at hand.

In an instant, Shypaw realized that her chest was suddenly sore, and she was no longer on top of Frecklepaw. She was flying through the air, her head pointed to the ground, her tail toward the sky. Shypaw, panicked, began to flip herself right way up, but she had realized what was happening an instant too late. She closed her eyes, ready to meet the sand.

She never did. There was a loud _splash_ and a gurgling noise, and then Shypaw noticed that she hadn't been thrown onto the sandy shore of the pond. Frecklepaw must have been flustered by the attention on her mistake and thrown her back at an angle, causing her to land in the pond itself.

Thankfully, they had already had a few swimming lessons; they weren't allowed to learn to fish until they knew the basics of swimming. Shypaw was grateful that she had picked it up relatively quickly, even though she wasn't allowed to practice it during her solo training sessions. Lifting her head and opening her eyes ever so slightly, she could see the dappled light coming from above, and she kicked out with her hind legs as hard as she could to propel herself towards the surface.

But she didn't move as far up as she had expected. Startled, she looked down, and bubbles rose to the surface as a gasp escaped her. Frecklepaw had tossed her right into underwater reeds that were now tangled around one of her back legs.

Shypaw dove back down, resisting the urge to breathe in. She swiped at the reeds with her claws, panic returning and making her heart pound painfully in her chest. With every swipe, the reeds seemed to get farther and farther away, dancing away from her claws, enticing her to dive deeper into the water, farther away from the surface. Another breath escaped her lungs, sending more bubbles up to the surface. But that was the last of her air.

She made one last determined attack on the reeds holding her captive before the true fear of her situation began to set in. She was going to die here. Drowned in an accident during an everyday training session. Her claws missed the reeds, but she was too weak to try again. She needed air before she could truly untangle herself. Shypaw tried to scramble up, but the reeds held her back, wrapping themselves around her other leg and pulling her back down. But she was so close to the surface! The pond wasn't as deep as the river, surely she could reach it. She reached up with one forepaw, somehow thinking that if she could get one through, she could bring the air to her. But even that one paw couldn't break the surface of the water.

Her vision began to fade, her chest screaming in agony from the lack of air. Finally, her jaws opened in one last feeble attempt to breathe, and her eyes closed as her body sunk down into the bed of reeds.

The last thing she saw before she truly lost consciousness were a pair of huge, long jaws with a row of sharp pointed teeth snapping only a whisker away from her face.


	7. If You're Meant to Hear It

Shypaw's eyes flung open as something rammed into her chest, sending mouthfuls of water out of her lungs. She let out a few loud coughs, trying to breathe but finding that whenever she tried, the water just went back down her windpipe.

"It's okay," a soothing voice murmured in her ear. "Take it slow."

Calmed by the voice, Shypaw let out one big cough and suddenly found her airway clear. She rolled up onto her belly, panting. Was she dead?

But when she looked up, she found Ottersong and Serowfur watching over her. They weren't dead, so she couldn't be. Serowfur let out a huge sigh of relief and shuffled closer to give her ear a few comforting licks. Shypaw relaxed her shoulders and focused on the warmth of his rough tongue as it ran over the back of her ear. "What happened?" she asked, her voice hoarse from coughing.

"When you landed in the water," her mentor explained, "you got tangled in a patch of reeds at the bottom of the pond. They kept you underwater until we could untangle you."

As she listened, memories began to pour back into Shypaw's head. That's right - Frecklepaw had accidentally thrown her into the water, and her back leg had gotten stuck. She hadn't been able to tear herself free. Then she had started to fall unconscious, and she had seen the massive jaws snapping towards her. She shuddered.

"What happened to that animal under the water?"

Serowfur and Ottersong looked at one another, confused. "What animal?"

Shypaw blinked. Had she imagined it? "The one with the big snout and sharp teeth. I thought it was going to eat me."

"There was no animal like that," Serowfur assured her. But he was looking at her with significantly more concern than he had been a moment ago. Shypaw felt herself shrink down to half her size.

Ottersong began sniffing at her pelt. "The lack of air may have caused her to hallucinate," she explained simply. "Being underwater that long can cause a lot of things like that to happen. I wouldn't worry too much, but she should rest for a few days."

Shypaw let her two Clanmates help her to her paws, but something bothered her about what Ottersong had said. A hallucination? She might have taken her words at face value, had this been the first occurrence of the large jaws in her dreams. But it hadn't.

Since she had become an apprentice, she had had a recurring nightmare of those giant teeth trying to bite her, tear her apart. They had chased her through the dark mountain until she had no choice but to leap to her death or let them catch her. They had covered her in their disgusting musk, and made her ears ring with every snap. How could she have been hallucinating all this time?

"I keep telling Heronstar that is no place to hold battle training."

Ottersong's exasperated tone snapped Shypaw back to reality. Her long brown tail lashed back and forth irritably as they walked back to camp. "Mackerelspring and Koisplash are on their way to clear the reeds, but there's still danger. They'll grow back, and what if an apprentice who can't swim falls in?"

"That's why we teach them to swim right away," Serowfur argued. "There's no place with ground suitable for training other than there. The sand is soft - it makes battle training a little easier. Plus it's mostly flat, compared to the rest of the territory."

Shypaw lifted her head, hoping to be a little useful after the problems she had caused for everyone already. "What if we moved some sand farther away?"

Serowfur turned, eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"

"Well, the sand is why we train there." Now that she had begun talking, she felt as though she should have just kept her mouth shut. "If the ground is too hard farther away from the pond, we could move some sand over there."

"It's a good idea," the older tom sighed, "but easier said than done. It's not so easy to just move the sand."

But Ottersong's yellow eyes were sparkling. "We could push it onto rhubarb leaves. It's out of season, but the leaves should still be big. I'll have the elders and a warrior or two help me."

Shypaw's chest swelled with joy. She had given Ottersong a good idea! She had done something right!

"You should have Frecklepaw help, since she caused this." Serowfur snorted his response, but his tone was gentle.

Ottersong shook her head. "Those leaves are poisonous. Besides, I think nearly drowning her sister was punishment enough."

Shypaw glanced up at the medicine cat sheepishly. "Is she okay?"

"Oh, my!" Ottersong let out a loud purr of amusement. "You're the one who was in danger, but you're still worrying about the one who threw you in the pond to begin with. I admire your kind heart, Shypaw. Don't worry, she's a little shaken, but she's fine."

The rest of their trek back to camp was lively as Ottersong and Serowfur discussed how best to change the training clearing so that no one would fall into the pond and nearly drown again. They seemed already quite sure that Heronstar would approve the idea, so Shypaw contributed nothing further to the discussion. Her paws felt heavy and her tail drooped behind her. She hadn't realized how tired she was until after she knew Frecklepaw was still okay.

The camp was buzzing when they returned. A heartbeat later, Shypaw felt someone bigger than her begin nuzzling her cheek, loud purrs echoing in her ears. Happy, she nuzzled them back. "I'm okay, Squirrelhaze."

She felt her mother's fluffy tail wrap itself around her protectively. "You almost drowned! You had me so worried!"

"I'm okay, really!" Shypaw had to pry herself away before she drowned in her mother's thick pelt instead of the pond.

Ottersong reached them and gave Shypaw another quick sniff, her long whiskers ticking the apprentice's nose. "She's fine, but she should take it easy for a few days. Nothing too strenuous."

Shypaw's heart sank. Did that mean no training?

Serowfur's ears twitched. "We could practice fishing for the next few days. Is that easy enough for her, Ottersong?" The she-cat nodded and Shypaw felt herself release a breath of air. She could still train! Serowfur's tail curled happily. "Perfect. Now, where's Frecklepaw? She should know her sister is alright."

Shypaw scanned the clearing for her littermate, but disappointment filled her belly as she saw no sign of the spotted apprentice. Magnoliabreath was there, however, sharing a fish with Pittaflight outside the warrior's den. Squirrelhaze twitched one ear.

"Monkeystrike was either trying to calm her down or lecturing her," she explained. She tilted her head to one side. "I couldn't quite tell which." Shypaw let out a small purr of amusement.

Ottersong rested her tail over Shypaw's shoulders, which somehow made her feel both lighter and heavy as a rock. "You should come rest in my den for now. I'm sure you could use a nap."

Shypaw blinked gratefully at the medicine cat and let her lead her away from the commotion into her den. It led down slope, in between two large boulders that created a cave. Brambles and vines protected the entrance, but they were easy enough to slip past. Shypaw paused to adjust to the lack of light, but quickly spotted a small nest off to one side that smelled a little stale. She nosed her way towards it and began kneading the moss and pine needles into something a little more comfortable.

Her thoughts drifted back to the dream she'd had while underwater, while Ottersong began digging through something at the back of the den. It had just felt so _real_. And it hadn't been the first time she'd dreamt of the giant monsters. Shypaw glanced up at Ottersong and held her breath for a moment before deciding to speak.

"Ottersong," she began a little quietly, "what's it like to get messages from StarClan?"

The tabby she-cat lifted her head, eyes wide. "You're curious about StarClan?" Shypaw nodded. Ottersong seemed to relax, and she pulled herself out of the back of the den to face Shypaw a little better. In the dim light, her yellow eyes seemed to shine like stars. Did all medicine cats have eyes like that?

"Well, it depends on the message," she explained. "Sometimes it's just a shooting star, or a fish with weirdly-coloured scales. Those ones are always a little confusing - it's hard to know what StarClan means, but I can usually tell that it's _some_ kind of message."

Shypaw dug her claws into the nest anxiously. "What about dreams?"

"Some dreams are easy to explain." Ottersong glanced dreamily up at the roof of the den. "A message from one of our ancestors, or a vision of the future or past. Others," her face darkened, "are a little harder. StarClan doesn't like to be clear about what they want us to do." She paused, eyes drifting thoughtfully to Shypaw. "Do you think the monster you saw was a vision from StarClan?"

"I don't know," Shypaw admitted. She bowed her head. "But, I know you're probably right and I was imagining it, but it _felt_ real." She decided not to mention her other dreams, in case the medicine cat decided she was crazy.

But Ottersong simply tilted one ear, as though thinking about something entirely different. "StarClan often sends us messages in unusual ways," she replied. "Even medicine cats get things wrong, or miss an omen. It's not impossible that they were trying to tell you something. But," she added, her gaze softening, "I wouldn't worry too much about it. If it is a message you are meant to hear, StarClan will make sure to get through to you."

That wasn't reassuring at all. Shypaw rested her chin on her forepaws, her eyelids growing heavy. If it was a message from StarClan, they would make sure she knew, wouldn't they? But she had had the dream about the monster with the giant fangs so many times, she wasn't sure if it was a message or if she was just thinking about it all the time, before she went to sleep. Her eyes drifted shut, and soon Shypaw found herself sound asleep in the medicine cat's den.

When she opened her eyes for the third time that day, she was alone in the den. Moonlight trickled in through the entrance, casting thin rays of light across the floor. Shypaw blinked herself awake and stood up with a yawn. How long had she been asleep? She glanced around, but Ottersong was nowhere to be found, and her scent was stale. Didn't she sleep in her own den? It had to be nearing moonhigh, already.

Shypaw nosed her way back into the open air. She felt wide awake now that she had slept off the exhaustion from earlier. She hesitated at the entrance to the den, a swift breeze forcing her eyes shut. She had to rub debris out of her eyes before she could take another step.

When she was able to see again, a horrified screech left her lungs. Terror pulsed through her, and it took all Shypaw had not to flee on the spot. All around the camp were the bodies of her Clanmates. Pittaflight was lying stiffly in front of the nursery, his yellow and white muzzle frozen in a snarl. Chestnutfoot had a gash torn out of her side, and her head lolled at a funny angle.

There were even cats she didn't recognize thrown about. A black and white she-cat was lying half over the edge of the Highhill, blood pooled on the ground beneath her. To Shypaw's horror, when she turned around, she found Ottersong, her fur matted and dull, eyes clouded over at the entrance to the den, herbs still in her mouth. Shypaw stumbled backward away from her body, branches and stones crunching under her paws.

A loud growl sounded behind her. Slowly. Shypaw twisted her head around, the fur along her neck standing straight up.

It was the monster, in its full form. She saw the long snout, the lolling tongue and the giant, sharp fangs that she knew could rip her head off without a second thought. But now she could see the rest of it, too.

It wasn't quite as big as she had expected, but still the size of at least three or four cats. Its short fur was caked with mud and blood. Small, pointed ears laid back as its face contorted into a vicious snarl, and its long, thick, tail curled in challenge. And the _scent_. Shypaw had to repress a gag. It smelled a little like fox, but wet, and worse.

She scrambled to attention as its dark yellow eyes bore into her. They seemed to be saying, _If you don't run right now, I'll eat you whole._ For a brief heartbeat, Shypaw wondered if this is what her prey saw before she killed it. Then, she bolted, and she heard long, tough claws scraping against the hard surface of the camp floor, pounding after her. Her mind went blank with pure terror.

She sprinted out of the camp and jumped when she reached the river, but it seemed to grow in size as she approached. She landed right in the middle, ice cold water dragging her down. It washed over her face, threatening to pull her back into the depths, just like the reeds in the pond. Shypaw opened her mouth to scream for help, but her jaws filled with water, and she had to spit it out.

She turned one last time before the river swept her over the side of the mountain, just as the creature let out a bloodcurdling howl that was colder than the river. She followed its gaze up to the moon, the perfect curve of the quarter-moon seeming to wave goodbye as she fell over the edge, yellow ginkgo leaves following her descent.

Shypaw gasped awake. She was in the medicine cat's den. Thin streams of light trickled into the den, washing the entrance with a shallow layer of yellow sunlight as the sun began to rise over the mountain. Ottersong was sound asleep next to her. A few cats were stirring outside, probably the dawn patrol.

She paused to catch her breath. That _hadn't_ been a hallucination. She remembered what Ottersong had said about messages from StarClan: if it was a message she was meant to hear, StarClan would make sure she heard it.

She had heard it loud and clear. She shuddered and curled up tighter in her nest, still sleepy but too terrified to close her eyes again. Whatever that monster was, it was real, and it was going to be a danger to the Clans.

And the ginkgo leaves, that couldn't have been a coincidence. The Moontree's leaves were yellow at the moment, and during the last gathering, they had danced around the edge of the clearing, as though inviting the Clans to bask in its glory. Shypaw glanced hesitantly towards the entrance to the den. Did she have to go to the Moontree at the quarter-moon?


	8. Quarter-moon

Koipaw sprinted through the trees, his chest burning with the effort. He leapt over logs and skidded under low-hanging branches. Behind him, howls echoed in a cacophony that made birds fly and rodents scurry in the opposite direction.

A bark sounded to his right, and when he turned his head, he could see glowing yellow eyes peering at him through the edge of the bamboo, a snarl rumbling in the creature's throat. Koipaw quickly adjusted himself and turned left, towards the Moontree. Leaves and branches scraped at his face as he ran. The scratches stung, and his pads were sore, but he kept running, desperate to keep ahead of the creature.

The Moontree appeared ahead of him as he burst through the last of the trees, in all its shining glory. Yellow leaves glimmered under the light of the quarter-moon. Silence filled the forest. Koipaw turned around, chest heaving, and saw the yellow eyes of the creatures through the trees slowly backing away.

He blinked awake in his nest. Bearpaw was still snoring in his nest, and although the camp seemed to have a pink hue in the morning light, all was quiet. Other than Bearpaw's snoring. Koipaw draped one paw over his nose in frustration. Just once, he wanted a decent night's sleep.

For a quarter-moon, he'd had the same dream over and over again. The strange creatures chase him out of camp and into the forest, only stopping when he finally reaches the Moontree. He had tried going in virtually every direction, but in the end, he always ended up there. He had woken up tired every day, since.

From his nest, he watched the camp grow lighter, listened as warriors began to stir. First, the dawn patrol. Bambootail organized dawn patrols the night before. Koipaw could see Pikedapple's spotted form emerge from the den, a yawning Salmonwhisker and Rabbittail behind her. Then, Cranefeather made his way from the entrance to the warrior's den just as Tawnydawn and Gingerstep emerged. The camp was beginning to stir.

Unable to fall back asleep, Koipaw rose to his paws and arched his multicoloured back in a stretch. He nosed his way into the clearing, blinking the sunlight out of his eyes. In the distant sky, the moon was still barely visible over the horizon, slowly disappearing as the sun took over the sky.

He shivered as he felt eyes on him. He turned cautiously, but relaxed once he saw Foxspeckle sitting outside the elder's den, her pale blue eyes watching him from across the clearing. Her gaze seemed to be inviting him to sit with her. A little reluctantly, Koipaw decided to oblige. He was sure she was about to ask him how he had slept and he would have to lie and say he slept fine.

But she didn't. She gave him a gentle nod as he sat down beside her and turned her gaze up to the sky, instead. "Isn't it interesting how the moon and the sun occupy the sky at the same time, twice a day?"

Koipaw blinked in surprise. "I guess? I've never thought about it."

"The legend goes," Foxspeckle began, "that the moon and sun were warriors in life. Sun was strong and bright, a natural leader. His brother, Moon, was small and dark, only shining in the eyes of their Clan when alone. Moon was jealous of the love and respect that Sun garnered from their Clan, and so set out to overtake him. He began to take over Sun's duties one by one, until finally, he was the brighter sibling. Sun was hurt that his brother would take away the respect of their Clanmates, so he pleaded to StarClan for help. As punishment for the unjust way Moon had handled his jealousy, StarClan only let him leave his den at night. But they had seen the error of Sun's ways, too. He had ignored the suffering of his brother, and only seen what he had done wrong - never what he had done right. So StarClan forced them apart. Moon could only leave his den at night, but Sun could only leave his during the day.

"After seasons upon seasons of this, Sun and Moon grew weary and realized that they missed the other. So they would leave their dens in secret at dawn and dusk to meet with one another, so that their Clan would never see them together. They realized that they could not completely take over duties without consulting one another, as they would break the rules each other had set. So they decided to meet twice a day, at dawn and dusk, to consult with one another on how best to help their Clan. And that is why if you look at the sky at dawn and dusk, to this day you will see the sun and moon together, readying themselves for the new day."

Koipaw had never heard the story in full. It was just a story, sure, but it was fun to consider. The sun and moon, once warriors, forced apart as punishment for their misgivings, then finding each other despite the rules StarClan had set for them. He had always liked the idea.

"Why are you telling me this?" he asked, grateful but confused.

Foxspeckle's whiskers twitched. "You just looked so pensive - I thought you might want a distraction. And, yet," she added, mischief glimmering in her eyes, "I suspect that is not the distraction you were hoping for."

Koipaw's shoulders slunk with exhaustion. "I just haven't been sleeping well," he admitted.

"So I've noticed. Most apprentices aren't up at dawn unless their mentors ask, and I happen to know that Monkeyfur is not a fan of mornings."

Koipaw let out a purr. His mentor definitely wasn't a morning warrior.

Foxspeckle brushed her tail over his back gently. "It might be helpful to talk to Plumwhisker and Apricotpaw. Besides, your sister could use some practice on someone that isn't me and my bad back."

He let his gaze drift over to the opposite side of camp, to the tree stump that formed the medicine cat den. Somehow he wasn't sure they could help. "Is there a herb to make you sleep?"

"Oh, there's plenty," Foxspeckle purred dreamily. "It's a matter of whether or not you need it."

Koipaw considered it for a moment. Even if they could give him something to help him sleep, it wouldn't stop the dreams.

He blinked. Medicine cats didn't only heal their clanmates. Rising to his paws, Koipaw gave a quick nod of thanks to Foxspeckle and made his way to the den. Perhaps he had had the same dream over and over again because of something else entirely.

When he poked his head into the dark den, he could see Plumwhisker in the back, his brown and gray pelt rising and falling in his sleep. Apricotpaw was already awake, but she was simply making her nest. She lifted her head at the sight of her brother. "You're up early."

"I think I need your help," he admitted, lowering his voice. He didn't particularly want to wake Plumwhisker and give him a bad start to his day. "I haven't been sleeping well the last quarter-moon."

Apricotpaw's bright green eyes reflected confusion back at him. "I think there's some herbs for that. Why haven't you been sleeping well?"

"Well," he shifted uncomfortably on his paws, "I don't think herbs would help. I've been having bad dreams." Her shoulders slunk.

"No herb cures bad dreams. Would talking help?"

Koipaw nodded gratefully. "Maybe. Could we talk somewhere quiet? I don't want to wake Plumwhisker." The older medicine cat hadn't stirred yet, but the possibility didn't sit well with Koipaw. He was thankful to see Apricotpaw nod and lead him to the back of the den and through a tiny opening. The opening sunk into the ground, and for a few agonizing heartbeats, the two of them were underground, until finally the tunnel grew wider and sloped upward, and they broke the surface.

He nearly gasped when he saw where they were. It was outside camp, still within view of the bamboo walls, but far enough away from the dens that there was no way they would be overheard. A large tree and several bramble bushes blocked the tiny clearing from any other entrance, unless one were to come from above or from the tunnel they had just taken.

"I had no idea this was here!" he breathed, eyes wide. Apricotpaw's tail curled with joy.

"I found it last moon," she replied. "The opening is barely wide enough for a warrior, and pretty well-hidden, unless you know what to look for. So tell me about these dreams!" Her eyes glittered with excitement, a far cry from the professionalism she had demonstrated only a moment ago.

He jumped into a description without missing a beat. He described the creatures, and how they chased him like prey until he found protection with the Moontree. He told her how they sounded and felt when they managed to reach him. By the end of the story, she looked more frightened than he did.

"Did they smell kind of like foxes?" she asked, voice trembling. "And the mountains?"

Koipaw's eyes widened. "That's exactly it. How did you know?"

Apricotpaw hesitated. She crouched low on the ground, seeming to be half her normal size in fear. "The night after my first half-moon gathering," she explained, "I went back to the Moontree. And I saw those creatures in my dream. I... I thought it was just StarClan warning me not to go to the Moontree without Plumwhisker, but if you're having the same dream..."

A pit seemed to form in Koipaw's stomach. "Then it might be a sign from StarClan. What do we do?" Panic bubbled in his throat. "Do we tell Plumwhisker? Clovestar? They'd never believe us! You, maybe, but I'm not a medicine cat! I'm not supposed to get messages from StarClan!"

"No, you're right," Apricotpaw breathed. "They wouldn't. We have to figure out what it means." She sat up slowly, looking down at her paws. "Was there anything else?"

Koipaw thought about it. The creatures always chased him, always to the Moontree. And he always looked up and saw the moon shining down on it. He blinked.

"It's always a quarter-moon."

Apricotpaw leapt to her paws. "That's tonight! We need to go to the Moontree _tonight!_ StarClan must want you to go so they can give you a proper message!"

Koipaw felt like his entire world was spinning. Why would StarClan want anything from _him_? He was just an apprentice. Had they meant for the message to go to his sister, instead? "You have to come with me, then!" he begged. "I don't know the first thing about messages from StarClan - what if they meant for it to go to you?"

His sister shook her head, tail drooping. "No, I think this was for you. But," she puffed out her chest, "if they think I'm going to let you figure this out on their own, they're sorely mistaken. We stick together."

Koipaw stared out of the den, his multicoloured pelt hidden by the shadows cast by the light of the quarter-moon. Orchidflower was outside, chatting casually with Bambootail by entrance. The deputy was facing the dens. Koipaw wouldn't be able to sneak out with him still standing there. But he couldn't just go to the dirt-place tunnel like nothing was happening - they'd notice when he didn't come back.

He dug his claws into the earth, anticipation making his skin crawl. Finally, he saw Bambootail give a dip of his pale brown head and stalk back to the warrior's den. Orchidflower turned her attention back to the entrance.

 _Now!_ Koipaw slipped out of the den as quietly as he could, remembering everything Monkeyfur had taught him about stalking prey and avoiding detection. Paws light, tail off the ground. He disappeared into the tunnel before Orchidflower could notice, then followed it through to the other side and launched himself into a tree.

He hauled himself onto a branch and then leapt down the other side. Without waiting to see if anyone had heard him, he sprinted away from camp until he had found one of the streams that lead from the mountains to the Tall-legs' rice farm. Then, he turned and followed it north to the border.

Apricotpaw was already waiting. She turned her head as he approached, a weight seeming to lift off her shoulders. "You made it out!"

"Bambootail and Orchidflower would _not_ stop talking!" he complained. "But I don't think they saw me. We should go before moonhigh."

His sister gave a swift nod and led him along the border, until finally they could see the Moontree poking out from behind the forest. It was beginning to lose its leaves, some of the branches bare from the cold. Apricotpaw turned and crossed the border.

Almost immediately, the forest vanished, replaced with a full view of the tree. It stood taller than any other, surrounded by a shallow pond dotted with lilypads and lotus stems. A few petals still speckled the water, but for the most part, seemed gone for the year. Between the two apprentices and the tree, however, was a bridge.

It was definitely made by Tall-legs. It was a deep red in colour, arching over part of the water to the tree. Walls with tall and narrow openings edged the bridge, and a tall entrance stood overhead. The tree itself had some kind of Tall-leg vine around its base, with little white things dangling off the vine.

Koipaw looked around in awe. "Did Tall-legs put the tree here?"

"We don't think so," his sister replied. Her orange fur seemed to shine with the tree. "As far as we can tell, Tall-legs thought it was sacred, too. But they abandoned it generations ago. Now we're the only visitors." She nodded towards the base of the tree. "Someone else is here."

He followed her gaze. There was a gray form pacing the roots of the tree. With a quick nod, he followed Apricotpaw across the bridge. It felt weird to step on, almost as though he were walking along a branch stripped of its bark, but sturdier.

He gasped as they reached the other side. "Shypaw?"

The small gray tabby lifted her head, eyes wide. "Koipaw, right? And..." She hesitated. "Apricotpaw?"

"That's right," she replied. Apricotpaw looked as stunned as Koipaw felt. "What are you doing here?"

Shypaw didn't seem thrilled to see another cat. "I had a dream. I thought it would be better safe than sorry to see if it meant anything."

"I did too!" Koipaw blurted out. He was suddenly relieved to have another cat to talk to about the dreams. Apricotpaw had seen the creatures too, but only once. It sounded like Shypaw had also had sleepless nights for a while.

Shypaw's shoulders relaxed. Her dark fur laid flat, and she lifted herself up so that she was at level height with the LeafClan cats. She had a sleek build, as though she were made from water. Koipaw hadn't noticed at the Gathering. Were all MountainClan cats like that? He had heard that they learned to swim.

Apricotpaw tilted her head. "So that's one from LeafClan, one from MountainClan. There must be a cat from MarshClan too, then, right?"

"Of course there is."

They turned around. Koipaw felt his stomach do a somersault. He hadn't been sure what to expect when he came here, but one thing was for sure:

He hadn't expected Russetpaw.


	9. We Don't Know What To Do

Of all the cats in MarshClan, Russetpaw had been the one Koipaw _least_ wanted to see.

He let out a groan at the sight of the dark tom. "Of course it's you." Russetpaw's fur bristled.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Okay," Apricotpaw hissed, "that's enough."

Russetpaw glared at both of them, his thick tail lashing. Koipaw watched him dig his claws into the ground, as though stopping himself from lashing out at one of them.

His sister ignored him. "Have you been having dreams about the creatures, too?"

The tortoiseshell apprentice took a moment to let his fur lay flat before answering her question. He took a seat on one of the roots of the tree. "Yes, but they're not _creatures_."

Shypaw lifted her head, eyes wide as the moon. "You know what they are?"

Russetpaw almost gave the impression that he was offended that she had even questioned him. Koipaw wanted to rake his claws across his stupid, smug, muzzle. "Of course I do. They're wolves." Something seemed to click into place on the small island.

As much as he hated to admit it, his revelation made sense now that Koipaw had heard it. Wolves were supposed to be massive dogs that looked a bit like gray foxes, but with bigger muzzles and slimmer tales, and a lot more vicious. Still, Koipaw narrowed his eyes. "How do you know what a wolf looks like?"

Russetpaw snorted. "In _MarshClan_ , we learn what dangerous animals look like so we can _avoid_ getting slaughtered." Unable to handle another insult, Koipaw leapt at him, but Apricotpaw flung herself between them.

"Enough!" Her orange fur bristled as she looked between the two toms. "What is the problem between you two?"

"Your brother is a coward," Russetpaw growled.

"Russetpaw is obnoxious," Koipaw hissed.

"He won't admit I know more than him."

" _He_ won't stop antagonizing us!"

Shypaw shook her head uneasily. "If we fight amongst ourselves, we won't figure out why we keep having the same dreams," she pointed out.

Koipaw forced his fur to lay flat at her words. She was right, but that didn't mean he had to be happy that Russetpaw was there. He shot an angry glare at him and sat down. Apricotpaw let out a sigh.

"So all three of you have had dreams about, uh, wolves I guess?"

Russetpaw snapped towards her. "You haven't? What are you doing here, then?"

Koipaw suddenly felt sorry for him. Apricotpaw swiped at his ear, claws unsheathed, and had he not ducked just in time, she would have torn out a chunk of flesh. Russetpaw took a step back, his forest green eyes wide with a mixture of shock and fear. Koipaw had to stop himself from letting out a satisfied purr. _In LeafClan_ , he thought to himself, _we know better than to tick off a medicine cat. Especially_ that _medicine cat._

"I'm a _medicine cat_ , mousebrain!" she snarled, echoing Koipaw's thoughts. "I can help! And I had the dream too, just not every night like you three have."

The thick-furred tom recovered and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, well, then it's clearly not _your_ vision."

"If you don't want to leave, I can just go," Apricotpaw snorted. "Maybe even tell Plumwhisker that some apprentices were hanging around the Moontree without permission."

Koipaw felt a wave of dread rush through him. He knew she would do it. He glanced at Russetpaw, pleading in his gaze. The tom sat still for a heartbeat, and briefly his eyes met Koipaw's, but finally he shrugged. All four of them relaxed, as though a heavy fog had suddenly lifted and dispersed.

"Why would StarClan send _us_ a vision?" Koipaw wondered aloud. Shypaw blinked up at him.

"Ottersong told me StarClan sometimes sends messages in unusual ways." She glanced hesitantly at Apricotpaw, but the orange tabby simply nodded for her to continue. "She said that if it is a message we are meant to hear, StarClan will make sure to get through to us."

Koipaw was beginning to like Shypaw. For a MountainClan cat, she was pretty reserved and thoughtful. Her name showed itself in her quiet suggestions and small demeanour, but something about the way she held herself in front of them despite the fear and uncertainty spoke volumes about her as a future warrior.

Russetpaw let out a snort. "Message received, loud and clear."

Koipaw was _not_ beginning to like Russetpaw.

Overhead, leaves from the Moontree danced around them. Koipaw couldn't help but wonder if that, too, was a sign from StarClan. But why apprentices? Generations the Clans had lived there, but never had he heard of an apprentice getting any kind of sign from their ancestors. Surely no one would believe them.

"So, what do we do?"

He hadn't noticed himself ask the question. Koipaw's fur flushed hot with embarrassment, but the others avoided his gaze. He blinked. _They don't know, either._ Suddenly, the embarrassment was gone, replaced with a quiet understanding.

"We could tell our leaders," suggested Shypaw. Russetpaw rolled his eyes.

"They'd never believe us. I don't know about Heronstar, but _Webstar_ has a good head on his shoulders, and some _common sense_. He'd never believe _wolves_ were hanging around. We'd be better off telling the medicine cats. You believe us, right?" he added, turning to Apricotpaw with a little more respect than he had before.

Apricotpaw nodded slowly. " _I_ do, but I had the same dream as you three at the Moontree. I don't know what Plumwhisker would think. It's possible he doesn't know anything about this."

For once, this seemed to stop Russetpaw in his tracks. He fell silent, plumy tail dragging aimlessly across the ground. Koipaw shifted his paws uncomfortably. "Well, what do we know about wolves? Besides what they look like."

"They hunt in packs," Shypaw chimed in.

"They're strong," Apricotpaw added with a shudder.

Russetpaw blinked as though he had been woken from a bad dream. "They're _extinct._ "

All heads turned towards him. He looked between them, bewildered. "They don't exist any more. That's why no one's ever seen one. Do your Clans tell you nothing?"

Apricotpaw narrowed her eyes. "Then why do you know what they look like?"

"I actually listen to our elders when they tell me things," he snapped. Koipaw stretched his neck, irritation and dissatisfaction with their conversation making it sore. This was getting them nowhere.

"If they're truly extinct," he pointed out, "why would StarClan send us dreams about them? Maybe there's still some out there." Russetpaw prodded a ginkgo leaf with one paw listlessly.

"Or maybe they meant to warn us about something else."

"Like what?" he snapped back. Russetpaw was somehow irritating just by association. "If you're so convinced wolves don't exist, then what is the warning about?"

He shrugged. "How should I know? I'm not a medicine cat."

Koipaw let out a frustrated growl. Russetpaw was so back and forth! He _knew_ they were wolves, but _knew_ they weren't, because wolves were extinct. _Knew_ that StarClan meant something else, but _didn't_ know what. He seemed to know only what would be easiest to, and only what wouldn't help them in the slightest.

"How do we even know you had these dreams, then?" he asked finally. A wave of satisfaction ran over him as Russetpaw froze, very clearly offended.

It took a moment before he could reply. "They're huge, with massive snouts and teeth as big as a cat's head. They smell like fox and dog and blood, and they have bright yellow eyes that follow you no matter where you go. Happy?"

He wasn't, but Koipaw had to relent as he realized the description was the same as what he'd seen so many times in his dreams. He sat down, beaten but still frustrated.

Russetpaw lifted his chin, sure to point a smug look in Koipaw's direction. "What does StarClan expect us to do? I could take on three single-pawed but you lizardbrains wouldn't stand a chance."

If Apricotpaw hadn't been between them, Koipaw would have lunged for him again. He could feel his fur standing up along his spine, and he dug his claws into the hard earth. He opened his mouth to argue, instead.

Shypaw beat him to it. "I think we're meant to work together," she suggested, a little quietly. "That's why StarClan had us meet tonight."

Koipaw glanced up to the endless night sky. The pawsteps of StarClan glittered across the vast expanse, quarter-moon matching the shape of the coast that he could see from on top of the trees in LeafClan territory. Not a single cloud was in sight. Perhaps Shypaw was right, and he would have to learn to get used to Russetpaw.

Unfortunately for StarClan, they had picked a cat made of burrs. At least Shypaw was _cooperating_. Russetpaw apparently hadn't gotten the memo.

"Then what do we do?" Apricotpaw wailed.

Russetpaw stared at her like she had just asked what colour air was. " _You_ don't do anything." This time, Koipaw was the one who had to stop someone from attacking Russetpaw.

"Why don't we try and see if there are any wolves or dogs outside the territories?" Shypaw seemed to be gaining her confidence. The waver to her voice was gone, and her blue eyes sparkled under the light of the quarter-moon. "We can ask loners for rumours and meet back up next quarter-moon."

Koipaw blinked in surprise. He glanced at Russetpaw, but even he didn't seem ready to complain. After a moment, the tortoiseshell tom shrugged.

Apricotpaw bounded across the roots to give Shypaw a friendly nudge. The gray she-cat stepped back, startled, but didn't avoid the motion. "That was a great idea!" the medicine cat purred. Koipaw felt himself relax, and Shypaw's tail curled upward in response. Apricotpaw paused. "Oh, but how will we get away from our mentors?"

Shypaw shrunk back down. "Serowfur has me practicing on my own."

"Wow," Koipaw breathed, genuinely impressed. "Monkeyfur wouldn't ever trust me to do that."

Russetpaw lifted his nose high in the air. "Wolfrunner would trust _me_ , but I _choose_ to have him observe my progress. I value his opinion." Koipaw rolled his eyes.

"I guess I could help Apricotpaw collect herbs a few times. Do you _have_ a plan, Russetpaw?"

He turned sharply away. "Of course I do."

He didn't offer any more, so Koipaw glanced around at all three of them, renewed hope flaring in his chest. "Then let's meet back at the next quarter-moon to discuss what we find. Maybe we'll get enough for the leaders to believe us."

"If there's anything to believe." Koipaw ignored him.

"So, Shypaw," he hesitated, "Russetpaw. Do we agree to meet in half a moon?"

"Fine."

Shypaw nodded. "Absolutely."

As the moon began to sink back down towards the horizon, the four cats wished each other safe travels, even though Koipaw kind of wished Russetpaw would walk into a tree on his way home. He glanced back up at the night sky as Shypaw's striped tail disappeared into the trees, signalling the end of their first meeting.

He pressed close to his sister for warmth as they sneaked back on to their territory. "Do you think this is really what StarClan wants?"

She didn't answer right away. "I don't know," she admitted. "But what Ottersong told Shypaw... Plumwhisker has said the same thing. StarClan speaks to us in weird ways, sometimes. Maybe this time it's just through some apprentices."

Koipaw wasn't sure she was right, but he was in no place to argue. She had believed him, and there were other cats who had had the same dream. That had to mean something, right? Still, he shivered both from the cold, and from the thought that they were right, but that it still wouldn't be enough.

He recalled Foxspeckle's story about Sun and Moon, and couldn't help but wonder if this is what they would have done, too.


	10. Breaking a Rule or Two

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late post! Turns out I had much less time to write this weekend than I anticipated. Reminder that my works will now be updated every two weeks instead of every week in an attempt to keep myself sane!

Russetpaw awoke groggily in his nest, blinking away sleep. Had last night been a dream? He sat up, wincing as he placed weight on his pads. Okay, then it hadn't been a dream. He really had walked all the way to the Moontree and back, and really had opted to take the faster but less well-travelled route on the way home. He yawned and shook out his dry fur.

"Watch it," hissed Leopardpaw, lifting her head, green eyes narrowed. A few stray pieces of grass had found her way onto her muzzle. "What did you do, sleep in the marshes?"

"Maybe I wouldn't have dead grass in my nest if _you_ hadn't trekked it in here after your hunting patrol," he snapped in reply. The golden she-cat turned sharply away, her tail lashing. Russetpaw rolled his eyes. She always had reason to complain about him, one way or another.

He crouched out of the den, blinking in the dim dawn light. The days were growing shorter as the weather grew cooler, and though Russetpaw wished he could have more time for training, he was glad he had been able to get some sleep despite his trek outside the territory.

He still refused to believe that wolves were any kind of danger to his Clan, but he guessed he could humour the other three and see what he could find out in his free time. Initially, he had only even met with them to see whether or not he was losing his mind. Now, he wasn't sure if he preferred the reality he was faced with. At least if he had been dreaming the whole thing up, he could go back to focusing on his training.

He winced as he took a few steps outside. The grass was dying and stiff, and it did nothing for his sore pads. Russetpaw made the quick decision to pay the medicine cats a visit before his training with Wolfrunner; he wanted to be at his best, as always. He lifted his head and strode into the den.

Before he could even open his mouth to call for Rippleleaf or Frogpaw, the tangy scent of herbs hit him dead on. Russetpaw wrinkled his nose and blinked away the stench, choosing instead to sit at the entrance, as far away from whatever that smell was as possible. He would rather suffer with sore paws than get his fur covered in whatever _that_ was. He coughed to announce his presence.

A gray spotted head poked out from behind a corner, yellow eyes wide. Frogpaw blinked a few times before running out to meet him. "Hi, Russetpaw!" he greeted. His ears stood straight up, eyes shining in the morning light. "How can we help you?"

Russetpaw stuck one paw out for the medicine cat apprentice to inspect, but didn't move any closer to the actual herbs. "My pads are sore."

Frogpaw slithered closer and gave the paw a curious sniff. "They look a little dry. Hang on just a moment." He disappeared into the den in a flash, and returned just as quickly with a mouthful of some large-leafed, tangy-smelling plant. He began chewing it without another word.

Russetpaw took one look at the leaves and wrinkled his face in disgust. "What _is_ that?"

"Dockpf," Frogpaw replied through a mouthful of the stuff. "Goof for thore pafs." He spat it out onto an extra leaf and began smearing it on Russetpaw's pad. Although it smelled strong, to his relief the poultice was cool to the touch, and didn't sting at all. He let Frogpaw coat his other paw pads without complaint.

"Rippleleaf says the marshes start to dry up this time of year," the medicine cat apprentice continued, "so he loads up on dock just before cool-leaf. Glad it came in handy!" Frogpaw let out a soft purr as he finished applying the herb and began wiping the poultice off his paws.

"It's awful," Russetpaw agreed sourly, recalling his shortcut the night before. "Especially near the Moontree. The grass is so dry even the prey doesn't want to come out."

Frogpaw tilted his head, wiping a tiny piece of dock off his nose with one paw. "What were you doing by the Moontree?"

Russetpaw's heart began to pound rapidly in his chest. _Frog-dung!_ he thought, panicked. No one was supposed to know he had left camp the night before, _especially_ to meet with apprentices from the other Clans. He quickly wracked his brain for a response that would sound reasonable.

"Hunting," he lied, the word escaping him like a breath of fresh air. "Or trying to. I wanted to challenge myself near the border, but it wasn't worth the effort."

To his relief, Frogpaw nodded with round eyes. "It must be hard being Wolfrunner's apprentice," he breathed sympathetically. Russetpaw felt a sudden pang of anger. "He seems really hard to impress."

"I impress him all the time," Russetpaw snapped back. Guilt crawled up his spine as Frogpaw flinched back, clearly hurt. Russetpaw withdrew from the den with a jolt, murmuring a quick "Sorry," to the apprentice. He knew Frogpaw was just trying to be understanding.

Outside was slightly more lively than it had been before. Pidgeonwing's kits were playing beside the Highhill, their mother watching with a close eye while she shared tongues with Salmonflight. Leopardpaw had apparently decided to get up, and she was hovering around Sprucetail while he discussed something with Cranestep. Russetpaw craned his head around to look for Wolfrunner.

The dusky brown tom was nowhere to be seen. Russetpaw's tail drooped. Was he not awake yet? Could he have slept in a little bit? Maybe even had some time to think about how he would gather information about the so-called wolves? Eyes resting on Sabletooth, he decided to ask her if she knew where he was. Better that than get in trouble for leaving camp.

She lifted her head from her lizard as he approached. "Good morning, Russetpaw."

"Morning," he muttered back. His tail lashed impatiently. "Have you seen Wolfrunner?"

Sabletooth blinked a few times. "He didn't tell you?"

Russetpaw's heart sank. "Tell me what?"

"He's leading the guard patrol along the MountainClan border today. After all their 'accidental'," she rolled her eyes, "crossings, Webstar finally gave in and let him do it. He won't be back until this evening."

Now Russetpaw remembered hearing something about this day-long patrol, but he hadn't known it would be today. Or that he would be left behind. For days, all Wolfrunner could talk about was how he wished Webstar would take action against the few times MountainClan cats had crossed the border without permission. Russetpaw sighed. He had wanted to help - this was his territory, too.

"Am I supposed to train with you and Nightpaw today, then?" He wasn't sure what he wanted her answer to be. He needed to work out a way to find information on what was going on outside Clan territory, but he could use the distraction from his disappointment. He felt a pang of sorrow as Sabletooth shook her head.

"No, sorry," she replied, seeming to catch on to his mood. "He said you were to go hunting near the Tall-leg farms and see what you could bring back."

Russetpaw blinked. "Alone?" Sabletooth nodded, and his heart soared. The farms were right along the border! At least this wouldn't be a total loss. Suddenly excited, he dipped his head in thanks and headed to the camp entrance, tail high.

He could catch prey on his way back from the farms no problem. The real difficulty would be dodging border patrols and finding some loners or collar cats that would be willing to talk to him. Russetpaw ducked through the wide tunnel and stepped out into the open air.

He took a deep breath, trying to see which way the day's patrols had gone so far. Towards the ocean, he could smell his mentor and several other warriors. Another patrol had already come and gone, judging by the fresh scent. Russetpaw turned away from Wolfrunner's scent and towards the southern border.

He took the wet route through the marshes, his paws feeling better from the dock, but still a little sore. It was freezing, and the mud thicker than normal, but Russetpaw powered through, preferring that to the dry grass on the other side. In the distance, he could see the trees in LeafClan's territory, and beyond those the mountains. They cast shadows on the land around them. Here in the marshes, the sun could break through and keep the land warm even though the warriors warned that cool-leaf would soon come to an end. He wondered how the other Clans could live in the shadows all the time like that.

Russetpaw followed the border towards the rice farms, hoping to let his scent mingle with that of the dawn patrol and hide his true destination. A few times, he peaked over his shoulder for any sign of his Clanmates or an enemy patrol, but the marshes were quiet. He was still alone.

He took a deep breath and crossed the border into the rice farms.

Immediately, he was met with thinner mud and tall stalks of grass that surrounded him on all sides. Now he knew why neither MarshClan nor LeafClan had ever tried to expand their territory into the Tall-leg farms, the weird hairless things aside. Russetpaw scrunched up his face in disgust and stepped back to the border, where it was a little drier. He shook out his long fur, sending muddy water flying all around him.

The fields were surprisingly empty of other creatures. A few birds flew far overhead, but otherwise, Russetpaw could only smell mud and hay. He lifted his head to try and peer over the grass, but it was all he could see. Frowning, he hopped up to balance on his hind legs for a better view.

Now he could see the Tall-leg nest far off in the distance. It looked a bit like a bunch of _really_ straight trees stacked together. From the border, it seemed tiny, but Russetpaw was sure it was much bigger up close. Summoning up a little determination to prove Koipaw, Apricotpaw, and Shypaw wrong, he stepped back into the paddies and began treading across the farm.

By the time he finally reached dry land again, his fur was completely matted down with water and dirt, pieces of rice stalks buried deep into his thick pelt. Russetpaw shook it out as he climbed out of the paddies. He glanced up at the sky. _Good,_ he thought, a little relieved, _it's not sunhigh yet_.

The nest seemed empty. Russetpaw opened his jaws to scent for any Tall-legs, but all that remained was stale. Still, he crouched down low as he approached, not wanting to be spotted by any that might show up.

"You're not being very sneaky."

Russetpaw jumped, damp fur bristling. "Who's there?!"

A pretty calico she-cat poked her head out from a hole in the Tall-leg nest just in front of him. She blinked slowly at him as though he were a kit. "You're younger than most of the Clan cats that come through here," she drawled, long tail swatting grass out of her face. "If you're looking for the Tall-leg nest, it's that way." She twisted her ear to face behind her.

Russetpaw narrowed his eyes. Wasn't this the Tall-leg nest? Cautiously, he followed her direction with his head. Sure enough, there was a bigger nest farther along the dry path. He sat down and began licking mud off his fur.

"I'm not looking for anything in particular," he replied with a snort.

"Oh?" She tilted her head, green eyes sparkling with sudden interest. "Then what are you doing all the way out here all alone?"

"I heard a rumour that some wolves still existed," he lied, trying to sound casual. "I wanted to see if it was true."

The she-cat seemed to think about it for a moment. "Maybe," she lulled. "But I only use them as a story to scare my kits. I haven't heard anything lately." Her gaze studied him for a few heartbeats. "I'm Shiki. What's your name?"

Russetpaw bristled. "Why should I tell _you_?"

Shiki purred, tail curling in amusement. "Oh, you're not supposed to be this far from home, are you?" When Russetpaw didn't reply, she stretched, arching her long back. "Promise I won't tell anyone you were here. But if you want to know rumours, Chu knows more than I do. It's been hard to get out since the kits were born." She turned and waved her tail for him to follow into the Tall-leg nest.

Russetpaw stopped cleaning himself and scrambled to his paws. If this was a trap, he knew he could take a loner no problem, so he decided to follow. Maybe she would be right and the other loner would know something. As she disappeared into the hole, Russetpaw lowered himself to the ground and followed, wincing as pieces of wood snagged his thick, dark fur.

"So, name?" Shiki called from a few tail-lengths ahead.

Russetpaw frowned, but saw no point in hiding it if she promised not to speak to anyone about his time at the farm. "Russetpaw." He stepped out into the nest, blinking to adjust his eyes to the darker space.


	11. A Large Rabbit

Russetpaw followed Shiki into the strange den through a crack along its base. He ducked underneath it, letting out a hiss as his thick fur caught on the wood. Shiki didn't stop to wait, and as he pulled himself free he scrambled to follow her up stacks of hay. The dry grass caught between his claws and burrowed itself into his fur, and as he reached the top, he paused to start cleaning it out of his fur.

Shiki had navigated to the top with the same ease with which Russetpaw hunted in the marshes. While Russetpaw struggled to catch up, she called out to another cat.

Three kits, barely two moons old, barrelled out into the open. They squealed with joy and practically tackled each other to reach the two older cats.

"Shiki's back!" cried one, a small black and white she-cat. The orange and white tabby tom next to her puffed out his fur and arched his back.

"With a stranger! Intruder! This is _our_ den!"

Shiki let out a purr and reached out with her tail to brush the tom's fur flat again. "Now, now, kits. Russetpaw is just visiting. He won't steal your nests."

The tiny tom glared up at Russetpaw. He narrowed his eyes, irritated. He didn't come all this way just to play with kits. "I prefer my own nest, thank you," he snarled. The tom puffed out his chest as though he had won a fight.

"We could take you!" said the third kit. Her pale gray and white tabby fur stood out among the darkness of the Tall-leg nest. As much as he didn't want to hang out with kits, Russetpaw had to admire her confidence. Still, he ignored her.

"I thought you said I could talk to Chu," he hissed to Shiki. She shrugged.

"Yeah, yeah. No need to be hasty. Chu?"

A sleek yellow tom pulled himself out of a nest in the corner, arching his back in a stretch. His dark amber eyes glinted as they rested on Russetpaw. His gaze was intense but thoughtful, as though trying to remember where he had seen Russetpaw before.

"Who's this?" he asked rather cautiously, stepping over his kits to approach. Although he had a lean build, he was at least a head taller than Russetpaw.

Shiki wiped a paw over her ears, scraping off a few stray pieces of hay. "One of those Clan cats. He said he was curious about those wolf rumours."

Chu flicked one ear. "Wolf rumours?"

Russetpaw scowled. Shiki had said Chu would know something! "I heard wolves might not be extinct," he explained, trying to push down his anger. "Shiki said you might know more about it."

For a long moment, Chu was silent. Just as Russetpaw was about to give up and storm out, he finally replied, "I'm not sure."

Russetpaw rolled his eyes. "Great. This was a waste of time."

"Hang on," Chu snapped. "I've heard the rumour, but I'm not sure if it's true. Well," he corrected, "I haven't heard _that_ particular rumour, but I heard something similar the last time I was in town."

"Town?"

"That huge Tall-leg camp on the other side of the farm," Shiki explained. "The collar cats from there call it a town."

Russetpaw wrinkled his nose in disgust. "What a weird thing to call it." Chu shrugged.

"No weirder than us calling them 'collar cats'. Half of them don't even _wear_ collars." Russetpaw let out a snort.

"Just because they don't wear collars it doesn't mean they don't act like they do."

"Fair enough." Chu nodded for the base of the haystacks. "Let's talk away from the kits and I'll tell you what I know."

Russetpaw hated the idea of climbing back through the dry hay, but he followed Chu down without complaint. For once, he missed the feeling of wet marsh beneath his paws. As they left Shiki and the kits, Chu gave them a quick wave of his tail, and the kits poked their heads over the top of the hay as though their father was leaving on some grand adventure.

Chu settled in yet another pile of hay at the bottom of the den. Russetpaw sat down with him, but away from the hay. He had no desire to get any more of it in his fur.

"Alright, so what do you know about this?"

The yellow tom's tail dragged lazily across the ground, sweeping hay in a tight semi-circle. "Some collar cats in town have been passing around stories of dogs wreaking havoc in the north," he replied. "Of course, it's collar cats, and the story has been passed around so many times that I half-expect the reality to be a large rabbit." Russetpaw groaned. "Supposedly they're a group of wild dogs hunting anything that moves."

"That's it? Just a bunch of dogs?" Although he hadn't believed wolves to still exist in the first place, Russetpaw couldn't help but feel a slight pang of disappointment to hear he was right.

Chu shrugged. "As far as I know." He narrowed his eyes thoughtfully. "What does a Clan cat care, though? Surely you lot have better things to do than go hunting for dogs."

Russetpaw bristled defensively. "If there's dogs making their way south, we'll have to defend our territory!" he snapped. Chu didn't seem phased.

"So they send an apprentice to find out what's happening?" Russetpaw winced and looked away, but didn't reply. "That's what I thought. We get enough of your healers passing through to know that any of you with a name ending in -paw is still in training. Listen," he added with a sigh, "I won't rat you out. I'm sure you have good reason for coming all the way out here. But I wouldn't worry too much about some collar cat rumour."

Russetpaw wasn't the one that was worried, though. He knew that even if he returned to Shypaw, Koipaw, and Apricotpaw with this news, they would be worried that the dogs would come south and attack the Clans. For all he knew, whatever StarClan was trying to warn them about wasn't dogs - or wolves - at all.

"I'm just trying to keep my Clan safe," he finally replied, a little quiet. Chu dipped his head.

"I suppose your Clans are just like big families, right?" Russetpaw nodded. "Then I can understand that. If you want, I can keep an ear open for any more news. Maybe come back in a moon and I'll let you know what I find out."

Russetpaw sat up a little straighter. Would a loner really do that? For a _Clan_ cat? "Really?" he asked, kind of hesitant. But Chu nodded seriously.

"Sure."

Although Chu seemed truthful, Russetpaw felt a shiver run down his spine. "How can I trust you? You're not a Clan cat!" His fur bristled, but Chu simply blinked.

"You can't. But that's not my problem. Come if you want, or don't." He stood up and stretched, his yellow fur catching in the sunlight. Hay stirred as his tail flicked to one side. "You need a guide back to your border?"

Russetpaw's thick fur stood on end. "No!" he spat. Guilt pricked at his chest as Chu blinked slowly. Irritated, Russetpaw turned around and headed for the hole in the wall of the nest and scrambled through, bursting back out into the rice farms.

Thankfully, it was still quiet. Russetpaw wondered where the Tall-legs were, but he didn't have time to worry about that. The sun was climbing steadily higher in the sky, and he still had to catch some prey to bring back to camp. Russetpaw steeled himself for the journey back through the wet paddies and burst forward towards the border.

As soon as he crossed the familiar scent line, he let out a heavy breath of air. There was no sign of a patrol, and he had gone through so much mud and water that he doubted anyone would have even noticed he had crossed the border at all. Russetpaw shook some of the water out of his pelt and opened his jaws to scent the air for prey.

The scent of grebe reached him as he paced along the border. He lifted his head over the tall grass of the marsh, and quickly spotted the bird pecking around the edge of a pond nearby. Russetpaw sunk back below the grass, thankful that his pelt disguised him partially in with the cool-leaf plant life.

He padded forward, sticking to the muddier parts of the path so as not to step on a twig. As he got closer, he could see the cattails dotting the perimeter of the pond. Only one grebe was currently swimming, but it was upwind, and hadn't noticed anything off. Russetpaw crept towards the water's edge, mud welling up between his claws.

He waited patiently for the grebe to swim back around to his side of the pond. It ducked its head underwater a few times, then poking back up. Russetpaw blinked. Grebes had the same colouring as him, and it always threw him off. He shook his head to focus.

As soon as it was within reach, Russetpaw pounced, his front claws pounding the bird underwater. There was a large splash as he landed and the bird flailed, but Russetpaw took a deep breath and sunk his head underwater to deliver the killing blow. He lifted the prey above the water only a moment later.

The pond was shallow along the shore, but still came up to his belly, and now Russetpaw was soaked _and_ muddy. He climbed back onto the shore and shook out his pelt, sending drops of water flying. He lifted the grebe above the muddy earth and carried it a little further into the territory before quickly burying it to be retrieved when he was done.

By the time sunhigh had come and gone, Russetpaw had also caught a snake and two rather stubborn mice. He struggled to carry the four pieces of prey all at once, and quickly gave up and began carrying them two at a time. He lifted his head with pride as he reached the camp with his catches. He was proud of himself for being able to speak to the loners _and_ catch so much prey in such a short amount of time, without anyone noticing he had left the territory.

He dropped the last of his catches on the caught-prey pile and stretched. His belly rumbled with hunger, but doubt pricked at his chest. Was he allowed to grab anything? He glanced around for his mentor, or Sabletooth or Sprucetail, but none of them were in the clearing. Russetpaw scowled and sat down in front of the apprentices' den instead, licking his fur clean now that he was out of the wet marshes.

By the time Wolfrunner's patrol had finally returned, Russetpaw had gotten permission to eat and been out hunting a second time, this time bringing back a few frogs from the LeafClan border. He lifted his head as the large brown tom pushed through the entrance. Russetpaw jumped to his paws and ran to meet him, eager to at least know how the patrol went.

"Wolfrunner-" he began, but a sharp look from his mentor cut him off.

"Not now, Russetpaw," the deputy ordered. "I need to report to Webstar."

Startled, Russetpaw dipped his head and watched as Wolfrunner ducked into Webstar's den. The rest of his patrol, Beetlefoot, Cranestep, Vipertail, Lotusstep, and Thistlepaw made their way to the caught-prey pile, discussing their day. Russetpaw scowled at the spike-furred apprentice. Why had he been asked to go, but not Russetpaw? Wolfrunner was _his_ mentor, and Russetpaw had never given him any reason not to take him on a patrol.

Thistlepaw caught his eye and bounded over, one of the frogs Russetpaw had caught dangling from his jaws. The brown and white tom dropped it to speak, eyes sparkling. "The patrol was great!" he exclaimed without provocation. Russetpaw's eyes narrowed. "We chased off _two_ MountainClan patrols! How come you decided not to come?"

Hurt dug its way into Russetpaw's chest. _Decided_? He had never been asked! He lifted his chin defiantly. "Wolfrunner decided my efforts would be better suited for hunting, today." He nodded towards the frog Thistlepaw had just dropped. Thistlepaw looked away awkwardly.

"Oh," he muttered. Russetpaw snorted and rose to his paws to wait for Wolfrunner somewhere else. He padded across the clearing and took a seat outside the medicine cat den, staring intently at Webstar's den for any sign of movement. It felt like days before the dark-furred tom stepped back out of the den, his back arched in a stretch and jaws open in a yawn. Russetpaw raced to meet him.

"How was the patrol?" he asked eagerly. Wolfrunner blinked at him.

"It was fine. Did you go hunting like I asked?"

 _Like Sabletooth asked,_ Russetpaw thought. He pushed it aside. "Yes! I caught three frogs, two mice, a snake, and a grebe."

Wolfrunner nodded his approval. "Good work." Russetpaw felt his chest swell with pride. "I'll be patrolling the MountainClan border again tomorrow," he added. He scratched one ear nonchalantly. "You can train with Sabletooth and Nightpaw."

Russetpaw's good mood vanished. "I can't come on the patrol with you?"

"Leopardpaw has seniority, so she's coming instead," Wolfrunner explained. "If we need to do this again when you've had more training, then you can come."

Although the idea of Thistlepaw _and_ Leopardpaw going on Wolfrunner's patrol without him stung, Russetpaw supposed he understood. They were both annoying, but they _had_ been training longer, and Wolfrunner would know who was best for a patrol. Russetpaw dipped his head obediently. He would have to trust his mentor. Besides, he hadn't trained with his sister for a while.


	12. To the North

Shypaw opened her jaws to scent the air. The border patrol here had already come and gone. The pines were quiet, allowing the sound of the waterfall in the distance to reach her perked ears. Taking a deep breath, she picked up her pace and sprinted across the border.

As soon as she reached the other side, she realized that everything was completely unfamiliar to her. She could see no clear paths that border patrols followed, no scent of cat anywhere in front of her. She skidded to a halt, eyes wide. She had never in her life imagined taking a step across the outside border of MountainClan territory, towards the unknown. Now she was here on a mission from StarClan, not even a warrior yet.

She silently thanked StarClan for being given solo-battle practice that morning. She would have little to show for it when Serowfur tested her later, but surely making sure wolves weren't about to attack her Clan was more important? Shypaw took a few cautious steps, tilting her ears to listen for danger, but the mountain was just as quiet as it had been on the Clan side of the border. When she was certain there wasn't a fox or anything lying in wait, she lifted her head confidently and began to walk away from the border.

She wasn't sure what she was looking for, exactly. She didn't know of any loners here, not like the loners and collar cats that lived on the Tall-leg farm that bordered MarshClan and LeafClan. The mountain was inhospitable to outsiders, with its lack of dense forest for shelter and its cliffs and rockslides. She took a few paces and scented the air again, but still she found nothing. A little more cautiously now, she continued.

It wasn't until she could no longer see the familiar row of pines that marked the border that Shypaw thought she might be in over her head. Panic closed around her throat. What was she doing? She was supposed to be practicing battle moves, not leaving MountainClan territory to look for something that might not exist. She turned around to head back.

The meeting at the quarter-moon played back in her head, stopping her in her tracks. Russetpaw, Koipaw, and Apricotpaw were probably all working hard to see what they could learn. How could she just leave them to do all the work? Gathering her courage, Shypaw turned around again and began wandering farther and farther from home.

The further she got from MountainClan territory, the more Shypaw found that the world was a lot bigger than she had thought it was. The trees stretched towards the clouds, and as she walked around the mountain, she could see more in the distance. She glanced to her left, and beyond the tall mounds and between the trees, she could see a trace of the ocean, the water shining in the sunlight. Shypaw stared at it for a moment, wondering if there was anything beyond.

She pulled herself away from the allure of the ocean and made her way down the other side of the mountain, keeping an ear out for foxes or anything else that might find her wandering alone. She shuddered at the thought of coming across a wolf on her first day out. Russetpaw had insisted that they didn't exist anymore, but Shypaw wasn't sure. Surely StarClan wouldn't lie about something like that?

As Shypaw reached a dip in the mountain, she heard a rustling in the pines. She froze, heart beating fast. Although she tried to scent the air, all she could smell were the pine trees all around her. She arched her back warily, eyes wide. "Who's there?"

The pines rustled again, but this time she saw something appear. A pair of blue eyes peered out from between the branches. Before she could react, a white form leapt from a branch, landing on the ground with ease. Shypaw took a wary step back, her fur standing on end.

It was a huge white tom, muscles rippling under his pelt. He stood almost twice as tall as Shypaw and he bared his teeth in challenge. Shypaw swallowed a heavy lump in her throat.

" _I'm_ here," the tom growled. His tail lashed threateningly. "And you're in my hunting grounds."

Shypaw took another step back. She wasn't sure she could outrun him if he tried to attack. "I'm just passing through," she muttered, praying to StarClan that he wouldn't start a fight.

He let out a low growl and paced towards her. But before he could pounce, something changed in his expression and he pulled back, eyes narrowed. "You're awfully young to be out here by yourself," he commented.

Her fear was quickly replaced by offense. "I'm not that young! I'm more than halfway through my training!"

The tom's whiskers twitched. Shypaw got the feeling that he was _amused_. "You must be one of those cats that lives on the other side of the mountain. What were they called? Tribes?"

" _Clans_ ," Shypaw corrected. She still felt wary of the stranger, but he didn't seem to have any intention to hurt her anymore, so she let herself relax slightly. He nodded slowly.

"Right, Clans. I don't much interact with any of you, especially not way out here. What are you doing so far from home?"

Shypaw stared down at her paws, hesitant to answer. The tom curled his tail. "Ah, breaking the rules. You Clan cats have no sense of freedom - always huddled up in your own territories and fighting over prey." Shypaw opened her mouth to argue, but she decided against it. There wasn't a point.

"Well," she said cautiously, "if you're not going to chase me back to my territory, I'll be on my way." She began walking back downhill.

To her surprise, the tom jumped up to keep pace with her. She blinked up at him, confused, and stopped. So did he. "Did you need something?"

"I thought I should warn you if you're going to keep going that way. I don't like strangers in my hunting grounds, but I'm not about to get a cat as young as you getting herself killed."

Just like that, fear wormed its way back into Shypaw's chest. "Warn me about what?"

The tom looked north and narrowed his eyes, thick white tail curling over his paws. "I've heard from passing loners of some dogs up north." Shypaw blinked in surprise. "The way they tell it, the dogs are huge and vicious, and will eat any cat that crosses their paths."

It sounded so much like wolves that Shypaw couldn't help but shudder. "I thought dogs only lived with Tall-legs." The tom shrugged.

"I guess not all do. And these things are supposed to be massive, with heads as thick as tree trunks." He shook out his pelt. "So it's best not to head very far north right now."

If these were the 'wolves' they were supposed to be watching out for, Shypaw realized grimly she would need to gleam as much information as she could off of this rogue. She turned her head and stared towards the north, picturing the beasts lumbering through the woods, looking for cats to hunt as prey. She shrunk herself down. "How many are there?"

The tom shrugged once more. "No idea. Supposedly it's a whole pack of them, so probably five or six. So if I were you, I wouldn't go much farther north than the Tall-leg camp. One loner said he saw them rip another cat to shreds in an instant."

Shypaw shuddered. She had heard more than enough for now. She pictured the wolves descending upon the Clans' territories, strong and hungry, looking for prey. She remembered her vision of the MountainClan camp after a wolf attack, her clanmates dead and wounded all around her, blood overpowering the wolves' musky stench. "They weren't headed south, were they?"

The tom frowned. "I'm not sure. I should hope not, but dogs are unpredictable things. Chasing a cat one moment, barking at a squirrel the next. Who can tell what they're thinking?" Shypaw nodded slowly, gaze lingering on the northern stretch of mountains.

Would her vision come true if the wolves _did_ come south? Could she stop it? The sight of Ottersong's corpse was stuck in her head, as if reminding her of the cost of failure. But what could she even do? Shypaw took an anxious step back, the tom's blue gaze burning into her fur.

"T-Thanks," she stammered, "uh..."

"Ama," he replied.

"Thanks, Ama." Shypaw blinked up at him and was surprised to see sympathy in his gaze. She had thought all rogues were heartless cats that only cared for themselves, but he seemed at least a little bit worried about her. "I'm Shypaw. Uh, could you maybe, not tell anyone I left my territory?"

He twitched one ear. "Sure. You'll get in trouble, I take it?"

She nodded and let out a sigh of relief. She had to trust that he would keep his word, she supposed. "If I ever see you again, will you tell me if the w- uh, dogs have come further south?"

Ama's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. Shypaw flinched. She didn't want to sound crazy by calling them wolves, but something in her heart was telling her that Russetpaw was wrong, as confident as he had sounded, and wolves _weren't_ extinct. It felt like hours before the large white tom finally nodded in agreement.

"I'll keep an ear out. But I better not catch you hunting in my hunting grounds," he added as a warning, his tone sour. Shypaw quickly agreed.

Ama escorted her to the edge of his hunting grounds, leaving Shypaw to make the rest of the trek back to MountainClan territory by herself. She paused as she reached the border, careful to keep an eye out for any patrols. She didn't even want to think about the trouble she would be in if a warrior caught her crossing the border.

When she was sure it was safe, Shypaw bolted across. She would have to find a way to make it seem like she had been near the border on purpose, and if anyone followed her scent across, it would seem like an accident. She took a few paces towards camp, glancing around until she spotted a tree stump only a few tail-lengths away.

"Perfect!" she purred. She ran up to it and began to rub her scent on the stump, trying to ignore the rough feeling of the bark rubbing against her flank. She could practice her battle moves with the stump as a target. Besides, the wood was softer to dig her claws into than a rock.

She created a little distance between herself and the stump, then rushed it. At the last second, she turned and wrapped around the stump until she was behind it. As her back legs met the ground on the other side, she twisted her upper body and sunk her claws into the top of the stump. Shypaw let out a startled yelp as one forepaw missed and she placed her weight down on one side, sending her toppling to the ground. She sat up and rubbed her nose in frustration.

She would have to discuss her findings with the other three at the next quarter-moon. There was nothing she could do if the wolves were up north, and not heading south. There was no way Ottersong or Heronstar would believe her, anyway. Shypaw took a deep breath and tried the move again, this time letting out a triumphant yowl as she managed to strike the top of the stump.

If she couldn't stop the wolves now, she could at least do her best to become a warrior, so she could protect her Clan with everything she had.


	13. The Scheduled Strategy Meeting

Russetpaw glanced up at the sky. Clouds hid the stars and cooled the earth. But, somewhere behind the thick blanket of cloud cover was a quarter-moon, which meant that he had to sneak his way to the Moontree, or risk angering StarClan. They had made it _very_ clear from his recurring dreams about wolves and quarter-moons that he still had to show up, even though he still didn't believe there was really a danger.

He poked his head out of the apprentices' den and looked around rapidly. Behind him, his denmates slept soundly. Or at least they pretended to. If either of them knew he was awake, they clearly didn't care. The only cats in the clearing were Leopardspots and Thistleflight, sitting for their vigil, backs to the rest of the camp. Russetpaw took a quiet breath and slipped out, making a sharp turn for the dirtplace tunnel, wishing he had found another reliable way out of the camp already.

When he had finally broken free from the constraints of the camp, he broke into a run for where he knew there was a mint patch that would hide his scent. Though his Clanmates likely wouldn't care that he had sneaked out, he still didn't want to have that conversation with his mentor, or, StarClan forbid, his mother. Russetpaw leapt into the pile of mint and rolled around a few times, the cool, fragrant herb working its way into his thick fur. When he was confident that his scent couldn't be followed, he continued on, this time avoiding the muddy parts of the territory, which had now cooled enough that the mud was thick and easy to get stuck in.

The rest of the way to the Moontree was quiet. Though a cool breeze rustled the grass that hid the marshes from view, there was no sign of prey or other cats. Russetpaw considered it a blessing. How could he even explain this, if he _did_ get caught sneaking out? _Oh, sorry Wolfrunner, but StarClan picked me, an apprentice, for some mission that I don't even think is real_. Like anyone would believe him.

Russetpaw glanced around quickly as he reached neutral territory, but there were no signs of another cat. In one swift motion, he leapt the border and made his way to the Tall-leg bridge that marked the entrance to the Moontree.

The tree looked worse for wear, but he supposed that was to be expected as the weather got colder. Its bright yellow leaves had almost entirely fallen off in the half-moon since his last visit, and now littered the ground, painting it in a dark yellow that contrasted the deep blue of the night sky. Russetpaw stared at the tree for a heartbeat. Did medicine cats still sleep on the roots when the tree was like this? Or did it lose its connection with StarClan? He wondered if this meant they would be on their own until fresh-sun.

The only one there so far was Shypaw. She was staring at the Moontree, too, her blue eyes lost in thought. Moonlight made her dark gray fur seem to shimmer like stars. Russetpaw cleared his throat awkwardly. She turned, eyes wide, but relaxed once she realized who was there.

"Hello, Russetpaw," she said softly. Her head tilted to one side. "Did you make it out of camp okay?"

He felt his pelt flush as she stared at him. "Yeah. Leopardspots and Thistleflight were on watch for their vigil - they weren't really paying attention." He hesitated, her deep blue eyes staring at him almost expectantly. "What about you?"

Her tail curled up slightly. Had she wanted him to ask? "I think so. No one stopped me, at least."

She seemed a little less, well, shy, than she had been the first time they had all met at the Moontree. Russetpaw wondered if she was shy with her Clanmates, too, or if she was just like that with strangers, and now she was beginning to open up to the other cats on this strange StarClan mission. She blinked her gaze away. Russetpaw did the same, curling his fluffy tail around his paws as he did so. Where were the LeafClan cats?

As if they had heard his thoughts, Koipaw and Apricotpaw crossed the bridge only a heartbeat later, out of breath and looking wildly behind them.

"I thought he'd never go to sleep!" the orange she-cat gasped as they made it to the small island. Russetpaw and Shypaw both tilted their heads quizzically.

"Plumwhisker," Koipaw explained once he had caught his breath. "Sorry we're late."

"It's okay," Shypaw reassured them. Russetpaw snorted. "Did you two find out anything?"

Koipaw lowered his head, clearly dejected. "I wasn't able to sneak away. I got nothing."

Apricotpaw blinked sympathetically at her littermate. "I talked to a collar-cat while collecting catmint, but they hadn't heard anything. I think she thought I was crazy."

Russetpaw scowled. Had he been the only one to actually do any work? He lifted his nose triumphantly in the air. "I heard a rumour about some dogs in the north," he announced. "But they didn't sound like wolves." Shypaw's ears perked up excitedly.

"I heard that one, too!" she squeaked, a little loudly. She shrunk down as soon as the words left her mouth. Russetpaw's whiskers twitched. Maybe she really was opening up. Not that he was one to talk. Shypaw continued. "But they sounded like wolves, to me. A rogue told me they would eat any cat that crossed their path."

He blinked in surprise. How had she gotten a _rogue_ to talk to her? Perhaps Shypaw was a little more resourceful than Russetpaw had initially given her credit for.

"That sounds like wolves," Koipaw agreed. He turned to Russetpaw. "Maybe they're not extinct."

Anger flashed behind his pelt. "If they're not extinct, why is the first anyone has ever heard of them?" he snapped.

"I don't know," Koipaw grumbled back. "Maybe they've been hiding or something."

Russetpaw let out a snort. "What does StarClan even expect us to do about this? It's not like anyone would listen to us, even if we tried to warn them."

"Maybe we shouldn't say anything, yet," suggested Shypaw. "Maybe we need more information. Like how many there are or how fast they're moving south."

Apricotpaw shrugged as her brother nodded his agreement. "Well," he said, "we can't really tell our Clans without any proof."

"This is pointless," Russetpaw snapped, irritated. He lashed his tail. "We don't know what these things are-"

"Probably wolves," Koipaw interrupted. Russetpaw ignored him.

"-or what they want, or if they're even a danger to us. Why would StarClan tell us about them? We're apprentices! What do they expect us to do?" Rage flared in his chest. He lifted his head to the sky, where the stars stared down at them. "We can't convince our Clans there's a problem!" he shouted up to them. "They don't care about the opinions of apprentices!"

He felt a cold gaze fall upon him, and when he lowered his head, he saw Apricotpaw's green eyes boring into him. "They'll listen to _me_ ," she declared. "I'm a medicine cat."

Russetpaw rolled his eyes. "Great. I'm sure Webstar and Heronstar will be thrilled to hear about a dream a LeafClan medicine cat apprentice _didn't_ have."

Shypaw stepped between them before blows could be exchanged. "We need more information," she said quickly, eyes wide and a little fearful. Russetpaw scoffed and stepped back from the she-cats. Shypaw let out a shaky breath and relaxed her shoulders, though her claws dug into the hard earth. "We need to know which way they're heading, how many there are, and _what_ they are. Even if they're not wolves, if they're as dangerous as the loners and rogues say, then we could be in trouble." She shuddered and wrapped her tail tightly around her paws. "In one of my dreams, half my Clan died. I don't want that to come true."

Russetpaw couldn't help but blink sympathetically at that. He didn't like thinking about half his Clan being torn apart by the creatures, either. "Then what do we do?"

"We wait, I guess," sighed Koipaw. "And try and find out what we can."

Above, the stars twinkled as though signalling their agreement. Russetpaw frowned, eyes narrowed. This didn't seem right. This shouldn't have had to fall on their shoulders, especially not when they could learn so little. For a heartbeat, he thought about asking the others, but then thought better of it. None of them seemed all that concerned that some prophecy about dogs had fallen to _them_ to solve. Russetpaw couldn't quite wrap his head around that. He had enough to worry about with his training - why should he have to save the Clans from a pack of dogs, too?

Apricotpaw let out a wide yawn. "Let's meet at the next quarter-moon and see if we can learn anything more in the meantime," she decided. Russetpaw snorted. She was so _bossy_.

The apprentices dispersed before moonhigh, all agreeing to return at the next quarter-moon. Russetpaw left first. He quickly crossed the threshold back into MarshClan territory, feeling more at ease once his paws were back on the marshlands. His tail lashed as he played over their conversation again on his way back to camp.

He didn't want this responsibility - he just wanted to focus on his training and be a great warrior that could make his Clan proud. Sneaking out at night and being friendly with cats from other Clans was doing the exact opposite. But every time he thought about giving up and cutting the others off, he would wake up in the middle of the night feeling as though the creatures were standing over him, baring their fangs and readying themselves for a meal. Russetpaw shuddered as he reached the mint patch and rolled it in once more to get the scent of the other apprentices off of him.

Maybe helping them with this _was_ being a good warrior. What warrior wouldn't want to help his Clan in any way they could? Russetpaw poked his head through the dirtplace tunnel, but to his relief the only cats in the clearing were still Leopardspots and Thistleflight as they sat their vigil. Their backs were turned, but Thistleflight's brown and white fur was puffed out against the wind as he kneaded the ground anxiously. Russetpaw couldn't quite believe that he had managed to go the entire night thus far without complaining about _something_. As he watched, Leopardspots flicked her brother with her long tail, and he fell still once more. Russetpaw repressed a snort.

Confident that they wouldn't turn around, he slipped out of the dirtplace tunnel and crept back to the apprentices' den. He winced as the pine needles snagged in his thick fur, and had to shake out his pelt before he felt comfortable curling back up in his nest. He circled it a few times, his mind still whirling. How was he supposed to help with a cause he didn't believe was real?

His gaze drifted to Frogpaw and Nightpaw, sound asleep in their nests. Jealousy flared in Russetpaw's chest. _They_ didn't have to deal with any of this - why did he? He was beginning to resent having been made Wolfrunner's apprentice, despite the great honour that it was. It was turning out to be way more trouble than it was worth, assuming that was why StarClan had picked _him_. He wondered if the brave, strong deputy would have had the same inhibitions about this quest that Russetpaw was having.

Letting out a sigh, Russetpaw closed his eyes and draped his tail over his nose. He supposed he would just have to wait and see if they could learn anything else, and if they couldn't, maybe they could finally drop the act and go back to being normal apprentices.


	14. Don't Come South

Shypaw leapt over the last set of boulders along the edge of MountainClan territory.

She had done this so many times over the last two moons now that most of the guilt of running off while she was supposed to be training had disappeared. Determination to help her Clan pushed her paws forward, eyes set on the great unknown beyond the edge of Clan territory.

The last few meetings at the Moontree had gone poorly - no one had been able to come up with more information, and they were beginning to fear that either all was lost, or they had made a mistake in what StarClan was trying to tell them. But every time Shypaw thought about giving up, she thought about the grim dream that may have foretold the future. She thought about Koipaw and Apricotpaw, so firm in their belief that StarClan wanted them to do something. She thought about skeptic Russetpaw, who was still trying to help despite his lack of faith in whatever this whole thing was.

As she continued along the mountain, the snow grew thicker and taller, until it was up to her belly fur. She had to wade through, ignoring the cold seeping through the rock and dirt into her paws. Her ears stung with cold as a pile of snow fell from a pine tree only a whisker away.

"I hope the wolves are hibernating," she muttered to herself, taking a heartbeat to puff out her fur against the cold. She was just glad she had been asked to hunt, and not fish, on her solo-training for the day; the river was probably even colder than all this snow. She knew that the new apprentices were having their first fishing lesson today, and she did not envy them.

Still, she wasn't sure wolves even did hibernate. Even Russetpaw, who somehow knew the most about the huge creatures despite thinking they didn't exist, couldn't tell them any of their real habits. All he knew came from elders' tales passed throughout MarshClan. Shypaw admired the fact that he had remembered the advice of his elders, but she wished he had managed to learn something that might help them in their search for the creatures.

Not that she wanted to find them. Ideally, Russetpaw was right, and the worst they would have to deal with was a pack of dogs from the Tall-leg camp. Shypaw leapt onto a tree, stripped of its leaves, and from the tree to a boulder, shaking out her fur. Anything to get the snow off of her.

She glanced around from her new perch, taking in the sights of the mountains. She knew that to one side, they faded away into the ocean, meeting the marshes along the river in Clan territory, and to the other was at least one Tall-leg camp, but probably more. The north was the most unknown, but the most beautiful. Snow-capped mountains dotted the horizon as far as the eye could see. No Tall-leg camp or metalpath in sight, just the untamed wilderness of the mountains that Shypaw loved and called home.

Shypaw took a deep breath and dove back into the snow. She could worry about hunting on her way back, though she was sure Serowfur would have some choice words about her lack of prey when she returned. She only hoped she would find enough information to make it worth the trip.

She walked for what felt like hours, until the sun was high in the sky. It felt warm on her fur, distracted her from the snow all around. She wondered if fresh-sun would be there soon, and the leaves would return to the Moontree.

Shypaw gave a stretch as she reached a spot with less snow than everywhere else, where the pine trees had managed to prevent it from piling up on the ground. She was getting hungry, but she couldn't hunt for herself while her Clan was waiting for her catch at home. She frowned and stared up at the bright blue sky. Guilt began to crawl its way to her chest.

"I should get back," she murmured with a sigh. Another day, another lack of evidence. She hadn't even seen another cat, let alone any signs of wolves. It would be better to return home and avoid suspicion than to remain this far much longer.

She turned around, but as soon as her back was to the pine, there was a rustling in the branches up above. Shypaw crouched down and glanced up, eyes wide. She tensed her muscles to run or fight, depending on what it was. Slowly, she crept forward and turned to face the tree again, creating a little more distance between herself and whatever had made the noise.

After a moment's silence, her tail lashed anxiously. "Who's there?"

"Oh," said a new voice. "It's just a cat."

Shypaw blinked as a skinny tom leapt from the pine tree, landing neatly on all fours at the base of the tree. His ribs poked out of his white and brown tabby fur, his hazel eyes huge and one ear torn. He was barely any bigger than she was, but gray edged around his muzzle.

She bristled, a little offended at his tone. "Of course I'm a cat," she retorted. "What else would I be?" The tom scratched one ear lazily.

"I dunno. There's lots of things in the mountains. Haven't seen many cats until now." Shypaw puffed out her chest, trying to make herself look bigger than the small tom.

"There's lots of cats down south. Aren't there any up here?" She thought about Ama, wondering briefly where he was and if he had met the skinny tom at all. She hadn't seen him since their first meeting almost three moons ago, now.

He shrugged. "Not that I've seen. I think they're avoiding the wolves."

Shypaw's heartbeat shot up faster than a fish. "Wolves? There's wolves?" She was excited now, her dislike of the tom forgotten at the chance to get some information she hadn't had before.

But he just tilted his head quizzically. "Of course there are. There's a whole pack of them in the far north, from what I hear. They've been moving camps every moon or two, moving down south as they go to find prey. You'd better hope they don't come this far." Shypaw felt as though the ground was spinning underneath her. Wolves really were real? And they were headed south?

"How far away are they?" she asked him. She crept closer, eyes wide as the moon. He frowned.

"Not sure. Might be a few days travel, might be a few moons. Depends on where they've ended up. But you'd better keep an ear out in case they come this far." His expression grew serious as he stared at her. Shypaw swallowed a lump in her throat. "I've met far too many witnesses to believe they're fake, and they cause real damage. Dogs have nothin' on those creatures."

Shypaw had to find out as much as she could before the tom decided she was no longer worth his time. "What are they like? How big are they? How many are there?"

He flinched back, irritation evident in the way the fur along his spine began to rise. "Slow down, there. I haven't seen them, myself. But I can tell you what I've heard."

She sat and listened as he explained what he had heard from passing loners and collar cats. The tom described these huge dogs with teeth sharper and stronger than any other animals. They were brown and gray, with thick fur and long, strong tails. They had snouts as long as a cat and smelled of blood and death. They worked in a pack, eating any prey they could find, whether it be rabbits, deer, or even cats. Their paws alone could snap a cat in half.

Shypaw shuddered as he finished his tale of the wolves. They sounded just like the creatures she, Koipaw, and Russetpaw had seen in their dreams. Surely this meant they were real? Somehow she doubted Russetpaw would take this tale seriously, even if he heard it himself from this tom or another cat from the north. She had a feeling he wouldn't take any of this seriously until he had seen one of the wolves for himself.

She sat up and shook snow and pine needles out of her dark gray fur, dipping her head to the tom. "Thanks for the warning. I'd better get home."

He yawned and curled up under the tree. "Sure thing. Watch yourself if you come north again. You'd be easy pickings for one of those things."

Shypaw lashed her tail, but gave the tom a quick nod before turning around and following her path through the snow back to MountainClan territory. "He didn't need to be so rude," she hissed, leaping over a small log. Were all loners and rogues like that? Ama had been somewhat rude to her, as well.

She hoped Ama would at least keep their promise, if she ever ran into him again. He seemed to travel a lot - maybe he had heard the same thing as this old tom. If he could verify his tale for her, she would feel a little more confident about convincing Russetpaw that wolves were indeed real, and a real threat to their Clans.

Maybe, if they could find evidence that there were wolves coming south, they could convince their leaders to do something. Convince them to make some kind of plan to drive the wolves away - protect their Clans from the death and destruction Shypaw had dreamed about. Her heart sank at the thought of any of that coming true. She loved her Clanmates more than anything, and the wolves tearing them apart would shatter her.

 _I hope they don't come south,_ she thought to herself. She reached the border and crossed it, grateful to see that no other cat had come this way. She covered up her trail before returning to the shelter of the pines and opening her mouth to scent the air for prey. If she came back empty-pawed, wolves would be the last thing she would have to worry about. She had been slacking on hunting lessons since she had started her excursions to the mountains to look for wolves.

Soon, she scented a pika nearby. Shypaw dropped into a crouch, scanning the mountainside for the rodent. She spotted it soon thereafter, nibbling on what was left of some moss on a rock that had escaped some of the snow cover. She couldn't possibly miss it - it was too focused on its own meal to notice her slowly creeping forward, light on her paws, tail well above the ground to avoid stirring the snow or pine needles below.

Shypaw readied her hind legs and pounced, claws outstretched. The pika let out a terrified squeak as her shadow fell over it, but she had landed neatly on its back and given it a killing bite before it could react. She lifted the rodent proudly by the scruff. It was a little skinny, but it was hard to find anything plump in cold-leaf, when there was still so much snow hiding the vegetation that the Clan's prey ate.

She found a small mouse as well, but little else. She brought the prey back to camp somewhat dejectedly, her disappointment only partially fabricated. Sure, she had given herself less time to hunt, but she had hoped to find a little more food for her Clan before coming back. Her stomach rumbled as the scent of the prey, now cold, wafted up her nose.

The camp was just beginning to become busy as she returned. Lavenderpaw, Wisteriapaw, and Pouncepaw were back from their lesson, though they only seemed to have caught two fish between them. Bubblekit and Stagkit were playing in the snow, Chestnutfoot watching from the shelter of the nursery. Shypaw set down her catches on the fresh-kill pile and glanced around for Serowfur.

He emerged from Ottersong's den only a moment later. He glanced over his shoulder to say something to the medicine cat, then walked out into the sun. As he met Shypaw's eyes, he gave her a curt nod and trotted over, though he kept his weight off one leg. Shypaw stared at it, concerned.

"What happened?" she asked. He shrugged.

"I slipped on some ice and banged my shoulder. I'm fine. What did you catch?"

Shypaw prodded her two catches half-heartedly. "This is all I could find. I was by the LeafClan and mountain borders, because I didn't think anyone had hunted there for a while."

Serowfur inspected her catches while Shypaw prayed to StarClan that he would believe her reasoning for being on that side of the territory. To her relief, he nodded.

"Well, I didn't expect you to catch much with this much snow still around. The pika," he added, pointing to it with his tail, "was a good find. Did you learn anything while by yourself?"

 _Plenty_ , she thought, _but not about hunting_. She fought for something that sounded reasonable, reflecting upon her catches. "I think..." She hesitated, still unsure. "I learned to be more open to where I search? Maybe if I had gone up the mountain a bit I would have found more."

She relaxed as Serowfur nodded, tail curling upwards. "Very good. Next time you hunt by yourself, try unusual spots where prey might be hiding from the cold or thinking they're safe from us."

Shysong dipped her head respectfully. At least she had learned something for her training, as well, and Serowfur hadn't reprimanded her for catching so little. She glimpsed the pale brown fur of Ottersong as the medicine cat strode across the camp to the nursery. Shypaw had to force down another lump in her throat.

She still couldn't quite forget the sight of Ottersong's bloodied corpse after the wolves had killed her. It had been terrible, and something Shypaw prayed she would never have to see again. She dipped her head to her mentor and scooped up the mouse she had caught, rushing to where her siblings sat outside the apprentice's den, pushing the dark thoughts out of her mind.


End file.
